My Lovely Jedi
by Vagabond-Minded
Summary: Lexie Bonteri was not expecting this as the Jedi she was meeting. It is true what they say; the Jedi are more magnificent than the moon and stars. But the stars themselves could not compare to those blue eyes that Lexie could not stop staring at. It was true; Ahsoka Tano was a vision that Lexie couldn't stop watching. And as the days went, she fell deeper into her eyes and smile.
1. Chapter 1

I am expected to be respectful. That is what my mother always told me when I was growing up; she said the same things every day when I was at schools that taught me to be a proper lady, since I refused to learn what it was like on my own.

 _Sit up straight, make eye contact, keep your expressions neutral, and hold your tongue as often as possible._ And that is what I have done my entire life. I wear the dresses she tells me to wear; I do my hair the ways she wants me to; I follow her orders to a strategic perfection. I have always been looking to achieve greatness in my mother's eyes. I strive to be a diplomat, just like her. Mina Bonteri; beloved senator of Onderon/wife/mother.

My father was a great man; the best there ever was serving for our Confederation. But that life was cut too short, sadly. He was a great soldier for the Separatist armies, a high ranked General. But he was no match for the perfectionist clones that took his life when they attacked his stationed base. He was killed in action. It's very hard for me to be mad at the clone army, though. They were just doing their job, right? Yes, they murdered my father, but this is war. Lives will be lost to achieve peace… At least, that's what I choose to believe.

Jedi are the ones that are good, correct? Jedi are the keepers of the Force that they bend to their command; the wielders of energy; the conquerors of systems. I admire the Jedi for what they do and how they do it. They are… fascinating to me.

That is why when my mother told me Ms. Padme was visiting with a Padawan learner escort, I was very excited. But I didn't show it. _Keep your expressions neutral._ I listened to my mother quite well.

Before they arrived, my friends stopped by. And it was an ironic coincidence that they begin to blame the Jedi for this war. Yes, there's a plethora of deaths in the outer rims of the Galaxy and it's dangerous, but are the Jedi to blame? They're the good ones, right…? What they told me did make a lot of sense… I don't know who's good and whose evil anymore. It's like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I see the ship set down on the landing pad and my mother returns to the ground with Ms. Padme; I haven't seen her in so long. She looks beautiful, even with that ridiculous cream colored cloak on her. And them, I see a Togruta female. Her skin is a beautiful golden orange and her face markings makes it look like she has wings on her cheeks.

Her outfit was a beautiful short skirted dress with a sash belt and black leggings with a diamond pattern climbing up the side. Just below her knee were maroon tinted brown boots that fitted around her tiny feet. She had fingerless brown leather gloves and brown arm guards. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of baby blue and almost hypnotizing to look into. For someone that sees many battles, she had that elegance and beauty look to her.

My mother called my name. "Lexie, come help our guests with their luggage, please," She said to me. I jumped from the railing I was perched upon, my skirts curling around my tall legs and I flattened it out slightly before walking down the stairs, my black heeled boots clicking and smacking with every step.

"Allow me, Ms. Padme," I bowed to the Republic senator and took her bag from her. Gently, I approached the Togrutan female and bowed down, reaching for her hand that contained the bag handle.

"May I?" I said as gently as I possibly could. She pulled it away. "I can handle it,"

 _Oh, I don't doubt that you can, miss_. I thought in my head as she glared at me. Clearly, she was not a big fan of meeting separatists. All I could do was smile a bit, my pink lips curling up slightly. She stalked off with a frustrated look on her face as I just continued to smile at her. I could not help myself; she is beautiful!

I carried Ms. Padme's bag to her room and gently placed it on her bedsheets that I had prepared in the morning. I take pity on our handmaidens; they have to take care of everything. I can help out once in a while, although my mom does not like that.

Once that was taken care of, I decided to go back outside into the courtyard and play my harp. My mother deems the harp a suitable musical instrument for a young lady, and it has always sounded so beautifully when she played it for me. So I play the harp in her footsteps. I strummed chord after chord, listening to its delicate melody.

It distracted me for a bit, that is, until I saw the Togrutan girl retreating down our courtyard steps. I did not mean to stare directly at the girl's hips, but something kept shining in my eyes. I had to find out what in Force's name was so blinding—ah, it was her lightsabers.

"You're a Jedi, are you not?" I asked aloud, smoothing down my front skirt carefully. She turned to look at me, finally, with a non-angry expression on her face.

"Yes," She answered calmly. "Why do you ask?"

"Before the war, my father always said Jedi were good. He called them the keepers of peace," I said, feeling the hurt of my father once more.

"And now?" She questions where my loyalties lie; I just know it.

I gently pushed myself from off of the wall and stood with my hands behind my back and my eyes down towards her.

"I'm not sure anymore. My friends say there's a long list of bloodshed out there. A lot of 'killing'. And they say the Jedi are to blame. I didn't agree at first, but some of their ideals sort of make sense," I told the beautiful female.

"I'm the first Jedi you've ever met, aren't I?" She said with a smug grin. I loved it so much.

"Well, yes you are," I couldn't help the shrug. She is the first I've ever met and I don't know how the others can live up to this simple Padawan.

"Look at me," She held her arms out a little before crossing them over her chest and tilting her head to the side, smiling a little. "I'm not so bad, am I?"

Very slowly, my eyes traveled from the base of her heeled boots all the way to her tall horns. She didn't look bad; quite the opposite. She looked incredibly sweet and very nice; not to mention beautiful and graceful.

"No, miss," I said with a neutral facial expression but my eyes sparkled as I knew they would. "Not bad at all."

"Well," She said with a smile. "It seems manners can be taught by Republicans or Separatists." I didn't very much appreciate that answer. I chased down the staircase, holding my skirts in my hands and trailing behind her.

"Wait!" I said, sharply. She didn't wait, so I continued to trail after her. I stood next to her, finally. I was a few inches taller than her, even with those tall horns atop of her head. I saw her sharp teethed headdress glint in the sunlight and it shined in my eyes. I squinted slightly and picked up the pace to get in front of the glare.

"How many Separatists have you met?" I said, dropping my skirts and walking in front of her.

"What?" Was that a confusing question I asked? Should I rephrase it?

"Well, miss, I get the feeling that you believe us to be on the evil side… But how many of us have you actually met?" I asked again, but stopped to add another one. "And droids don't count."

"Well," She began. "Other than Military Officers like Grievous and Ventress… None, I guess," She wasn't making eye contact with me. But then finally, she looked up at me and her brilliant blue eyes shined in the sunlight. "You and your mother are the first."

That was a pleasing answer. I stepped in front of her and spun on one of my heels, my long flowing skirt layers spinning around my legs as I did so.

"Well, miss… Look at me? Am I so bad?" I questioned. She looked into my eyes, which gleamed with a silver tint inside. It was pleasant for me that she seemed to shy away from the answer. I simply gave a giggle.

"You don't have to answer me, miss," I picked up my skirts and bowed in the most elegant way I knew.

"But, if it isn't too much trouble… May I ask your name?" I wanted to know the Togrutan beauty's name so badly. I wanted something to refer to her by for the next few days when I spy her in the halls or when I see her in the courtyard.

"Ahsoka," She held out her hand for me to shake. I took her hand and simply bent my knees, closing my eyes and bowing my head.

"Lovely to meet you, Ahsoka. My name is Lexie," I responded while releasing her hand and standing back up straight.

"Would you care to join me? I would like to show you the gardens and our stables," I said, holding out my arm in the direction that led to a beautiful white stoned path that carried over a bridge that sat atop a stream of sparkling water.

"Sure," Ahsoka agreed to accompany me on my little walk. I walked beside her, my skirts catching under the toes of my heels every once in a while. Ahsoka watched my movements with confusion and saw how I gripped my skirts in my hands so I wouldn't continue to trip over it.

"Can I ask why you wear that dress? Doesn't it get in the way?" She said.

Well, I might as well be honest with her. "Yes, it does; constantly. But my mother insists I become a proper woman. My father expected me to be the young lady he always dreamed I would become," I twirled the skirts around myself a little bit and just shrugged.

"It's not all bad, though. These dresses compliment my figure; at least, that's what my mother tells me." Mother always says that the dresses complimented my curves, especially with the corset and dark stockings that I wear. The heels make me a few centimeters taller and they have helped my posture.

"Well, it is a very nice dress," Ahsoka complimented me. It made my heart flutter.

"But what is nicer? Just across this bridge, miss Padawan." I said, smiling a little as Ahsoka walked just behind me. As I stepped out of view and allowed her to see the beautiful gardens that me and my mother tended for years at a time.

All kinds of flowers: Everlilies, Century Flowers, Hydra-flowers, Orchids, Roses, Asyrs, Bachani, Blueblossoms, Floating Archidia, Snowblooms, and my all-time favorite, Nova-Lilies.

The greens around the flowers and patches of moss across the stones in the ground gave the trails even more life as the vines from nearby rose bushes wound their way up tree trunks and wove through the branches, beautiful white roses blooming within the leaves of the trees.

The mist from the waterfall in the far of the garden created a delicate mist that allowed a rainbow to bend the light through it. Exotic fish swam through the streams and I used to sit there for hours on the banks just watching the fish swim in a dance pattern.

Ahsoka stared at the scenery around her and smiled wide at all the beautiful flowers and colors around her. I turned around and saw a Nova-Lily with a beautiful blue and white pattern, all of the swirls and gentle curves of the pattern looked simply exquisite; but not as exquisite as her.

I plucked the lily from the root and grabbed at my skirt with one hand. Very suavely, I curtsied down and offered the Nova-Lily to the beautiful Togrutan. Her stripes almost darkened at my gesture.

"It's beautiful," She remarked and accepted the lily. _But only half as beautiful as you._

I stood up straight once again and smiled brightly at her. This girl is… something else completely. She's a different magnificence than anything I have ever seen before… the Snowblooms in my gardens cannot compare to such a rare flower as her.

Our walk continued on towards the stables and our beautiful Dalgos that we raise and as soon as their full-grown, we transport them to Onderon. The Dalgo population on Onderon is quite low, sadly. Dooku allowed us to retrieve a few young Dalgo from the planet and opened breeding lines for the species.

The Dalgo are in dangered due to the surplus of Bomas on Onderon. My mother tried to open negotiations with the leader on the moon of Dxun, but it didn't go all that well. If anything, the Boma population increased afterwards and the Dalgo were all but extinct from the surface of Dxun.

Lucky for us, a few Dalgo survived on the far side of the moon, migrated to the very old Dark Jedi temple on the far side of the moon's lagoon. We retrieved them and cared for them for many months before reintroducing them to their home planet. Now, the Dalgo population is flourishing. Sometimes, I have good ideas.

I walked up to a particular stall and opened it, clicking my tongue. "Here, sweetheart, c'mon," I said in a cool tone. Very quickly, a small little Dalgo pranced from his stall and towards my outstretched hand that contained a small amount of fresh grass. He chewed on the green and licked my palm. I scratched the creature under the chin and it pranced around. Ahsoka stared at the little creature curiously.

I held out my hand for hers and took it slowly. She squeaked in fear and pulled away. I just giggled.

"Don't worry, Ahsoka… He's a gentle little thing," He snorted in response and stared at her hand. Very slowly, I held her wrist in my hands as her hand spread out, her fingers slowly approaching the Dalgo's snout. Her fingers caressed the young beast's nose and up to its head fins.

The Dalgo chirped at her and licked her fingertips, making her snicker, looking up at me. Gosh, those eyes…

I lead the creature back into his stable and held out my arm for her to take. Ahsoka accepted it, grateful that I was her personal guide. I led her back towards the courtyard and towards my house once again, walking up the stairs with my skirts in hand. Ahsoka had her arm wrapped around mine and had her hand gripped around my wrist. I saw the Nova-Lily in her other hand and she held it tightly. I couldn't help my smile.

I opened the door for her and let her inside and saw my mother and Miss Padme.

"Why hello, you two. Enjoy the walk, my dear?" Mother asked Ahsoka.

"Yes, Mrs. Bonteri. Your garden is beautiful," Mother spied the Nova-Lily I had pulled from the garden for her.

"And I see my daughter has given you a souvenir."

I giggled nervously and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Nova-Lilies stay alive for many moons, Mother. I think we might be able to part with just one… Especially when the holder of the flower is as elegant as the lily itself," I realized what I said and my face went completely red. Uh oh, that's embarrassing…

Ahsoka turned around and gave me a strange look but she was smiling as she did so. I didn't feel so embarrassed anymore. My mother smiled and nodded once. "Of course, sweetheart."

I'm so glad she agreed! I didn't want to have to replace that lily; that would be months of hard work. I smiled and clasped my hands together in front of my face. It's just chance my mother is a wonderful person, is it not?

"Would you like me to show you to your room, Ahsoka?" I really wanted her to see the room that we selected for her. I can only imagine that Jedi don't have beds, but just mats on a ground… This might be a change she likes.

Ahsoka agreed and followed me up the staircase to her room which was across from Miss Padme's. I opened the door and she gaped at the giant room.

The bed itself was a good portion of the room; the sheets silky satin and a beautiful purple color and a black hypoallergenic comforter lying atop the fine quality sheets. The pillows were long and while there were only a few of them, many more were just down the hall. The golden thin curtains swung freely around the bed and draped over the entirety of it, making a perfect place for privacy.

The bed sat atop a black and purple rug that felt like a cloud under your feet at night. The dressers across the room were made with the darkest red of cherry oak wood and each had very high mirrors. The walls themselves were a solid purple, along with swirl patterns of silver and gold to the ceiling where a crystal chandelier hung from a large chain on the ceiling. I flipped the switch and the entire room danced with different colors from the crystal.

"Whoa…" Was all Ahsoka had for me. I took it as a good thing.

"I'll leave you to get settled. If you need anything, I'm just down the halls. My door is the only black one, you can't miss it." I winked at her and grinned from ear to ear before closing the door and heading to my own room. I opened the door and closed it behind me, leaning against it once it was shut.

"Oh, help me…" I muttered with a smile on my face as I placed one hand over my heart. Good gosh, that Jedi…


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner was almost ready downstairs; which meant that I needed to change my clothes to be presentable for my mother. And not to mention that beautiful Jedi girl that I know will be there. I quickly raced to my closet and opened it up to look inside. I pulled various dresses to the side to look for one in particular…

It was a red strapless dress that fitted to my body in every way it could. It had black flowers decorated across the bodice and laces up the back, tying in a bow in the back. I looked through my drawers and found my silk black gloves that covered my forearms and laid them down on my bed. I searched the closet for my black open toed heels with the silver strap buckles. I removed them from their spot and placed them on the bed before pressing a button on the panel near my door. I heard a ding ring through my ears and down to the handmaidens quarters.

A single handmaiden appeared in front of the door and she helped me into the dress, lacing it up in the back. I let her mess with my short hair and she brushed out my bangs, letting the loose hair fall down in curly ringlets down my temples and ears. She gelled back the rest of my hair and curled the ends down, placing a silver cuff on my neck.

She let me do my own make up as I dusted my eyes with black shadow and dark pink lipstick. I gave my cheeks a soft brown coloration and decided it was enough for one evening. Hopefully, the clumps of gunk on my eyes would be easy to remove with simple warm water.

I rose from my seat and praised my handmaiden for her lovely work and left my room. I looked down the halls and saw that the Jedi girl had already hurried downstairs—the look of her door open meant the room was vacant.

I approached the staircase and grabbed at my dress below the knees and lifted it so I could stand on sturdy grounds. Very carefully, I stepped down towards the dining hall and all of the handmaidens rose to attention, along with everyone else. Everyone except the Jedi… Oh, Ahsoka…

Miss Padme tapped Ahsoka's shoulder as she rose and Ahsoka quickly got the message, rising to her feet immediately. I just rubbed my forehead with embarrassment. My mother made me feel like a subjugated princess. I was grateful for everything she's given to me but sometimes, I feel like I'm walking on thin ice with her.

I calmly approached the table in the most delicate manner I was taught and sat down in the pulled out chair just for me, right across from Ahsoka. Everyone returned to their seats and I shifted a little under my mother's gaze. I saw my mistake; my elbow was on the table.

I took my arm away nervously and sat up straight, my back away from the chair and my feet permanently planted to the ground. Mother and Miss Padme chatted idly back and forth while I listened to them. Mostly politics and such…

So I really wanted a change of subject. What better subject than the tales of war?

"So Ahsoka," I said, grabbing her attention. She had a fine silver fork hanging half out of her mouth and a piece of food in between her teeth with sharp canines. She quickly removed the fork from her teeth and placed it down, chewing quickly.

"Tell us about your tales from in battle. I'm sure a fine Padawan like yourself must have many tales about you and your master's adventures," I was genuinely interested about a Jedi's life.

She seemed shocked, herself. Ahsoka quickly drank the water that was in front of her and put the glass down. "You want to know about what I do?"

"But, of course! A beautiful Jedi like you, I'd love to hear all about it!" I rested my elbows on the table and folded my hands under my chin, staring at her with glee.

Ahsoka smiled a little bit. "Well, I recently just came back from a teaching position on Mandalore… Being as it is a neutral planet, I was permitted to reside there… But without my lightsabers, unfortunately… Which made things very difficult, if you can imagine the trouble that arises when a Jedi stays on a neutral world," Ahsoka giggled to herself and it was a sound I could listen to for hours.

"I can only imagine the trouble that had arisen," I responded, ready to listen to her glorious tale. She began and I couldn't even describe the happiness that was on her face whenever she looked at me and noticed how focused I was with her and how I didn't tear my eyes away from her for a single second.

Her long head tails swished with every passing syllable as she leaned forward in her seat and used her hands as extra expression. Her eyes sparkled with life and I giggled when she said she had wrecked her attackers. How I would love to see that beautiful Jedi in action.

"But in the end, it was the Prime Minister that was in chains and all was as it should be… Although, my master was not happy with me, since I took the law into my own hands," She said, rubbing her neck nervously.

I snorted in a very unladylike manner and covered my mouth. "I can imagine! It must have been quite a lashing," I responded and she laughed in return, nodding her head and closing her eyes, her nose scrunching up and joyful giggles escaping her lips.

After the tale had ended, Miss Padme tapped the Jedi's shoulder and whispered in her… ear… I think…

Ahsoka grinned from ear to ear and spoke up. "Would you like to hear about the time that I saved Senator Amidala's life?" She asked me. I matched her grin and nodded vigorously. She began her tale of how she had visions of Miss Padme's life being in danger from a bounty hunter that was supposed to be dead.

How they both traveled to the world for the press conference and Padme was attacked but was alright afterwards and gave the conference from her room with a decoy and a comlink. But the bounty hunter still found her but Ahsoka protected Miss Padme with her life and was wounded herself in the process.

The Jedi was so brave and so strong to stand up to her own fears… I couldn't help how I lingered on every one of her words and every single phrase she said with such excitement. My mother would ask questions every once in a while and I just listened, staring at her eyes in happiness.

Soon, after dinner had concluded itself, I led Ahsoka back upstairs after seeing her yawn and lean back in her chair. I held out my hand for her to take it.

"I will help you upstairs to bed, Milady," I said, smiling with my painted lips. Ahsoka snickered and accepted the hand. I helped her up to her room, as I said I would, and I bid her goodnight. She closed the door behind her and I was left standing there, smiling like an idiot.

I went back downstairs and helped the handmaidens with the dishes. It was just me and my mother in the kitchen after the dishes was finished and she decided now would be a good time to speak to me about this…

"Lexie, may I speak with you for a minute?" How do you refuse your own mother? I just agreed and walked outside with her in the warm night air.

"Sweetheart… I couldn't help but notice that you've taken a liking to the Padawan that arrived with Miss Padme…"

Oh sweet heaven, not this… "Well, why wouldn't I? She's just so fascinating and so cool… I mean, how do you not love her like I do?" I squeaked with pain at my own choice of words.

"I mean—Not that I l-love her, I- I mean I do, but like a uh… A mentor or… someone to learn from…" I played with my fingers awkwardly and grinned up at my mother, not knowing what else to say. She eyed me suspiciously and shook her head.

"Lexie, you know I want what is best for you… But this Jedi girl… I don't think that is what you really want..." I growled in the back of my throat, but deep down, she was correct.

I knew her name and that she was a Padawan for the Jedi; that's all I know. I know that she's a great person and she's incredibly good at fighting, but I don't know anything else beyond that.

I thought about the Jedi that was probably lay down to bed at the moment and thought how wonderful it would be to get to know her… It's too bad that she leaves tomorrow evening right after my mother introduces the movement of peaceful negotiations to Count Dooku.

I looked up at mother and smiled weakly. "Don't worry, mother… She'll be gone tomorrow and everything will be back to normal…" Was all I responded with before I stepped back and walked up the stairs towards my own bedroom. When I reached the door, I slowly opened it, closed it behind me, and removed my clothes to get in the refresher to wash away the mess of today and prepare for the weight of tomorrow when I have to say goodbye.


	3. Chapter 3

The motion was passed and negotiations with the Republic were opened. My mother is the best senator there is and it makes me so happy to see her smile down there on that floor and know that she made that happen. Like all of us, we want this war to be over with and sleep safely.

But as I was standing on this landing pad, Miss Padme and the beautiful Padawan in front of me, I kind of hoped the war would last a little bit longer so I could see Ahsoka a little bit more… But that just seems dumb in turning point.

I help Ahsoka pull her cream colored hood up around her horns and her head tails.

"Well," Miss Padme said as she turned around to face my mother again. "This is goodbye."

"I've been disappointed before and yet… I almost feel that, this time, the tide has turned in the war." That was a wonderful thing to hear from my mom. I haven't heard her admit to hope in quite some time. "You should hurry," Mother pulled up Miss Padme's hood and bid her farewells to Ahsoka.

"So you think that the Republic will vote for peace?" I asked Ahsoka in turn.

"I hope so," She says softly in a hushed voice. "I wouldn't want to meet you on the battlefield… for your sake." This Jedi had the cockiest smirk I have ever seen in my entire life and it was quite a sight. Her eyes had a glint of mischievousness and playfulness. I couldn't help the wide smile when I looked in her eyes.

She smiled back, very sincerely. I was waiting all yesterday for a smile such as this one. I wanted very much to grab her gloved hand and kiss her knuckles as a subtle display of affection but decided against it, thinking that was much too forward than I was supposed to let on.

"Go, you two; quickly!" My mother said. The two of them took off towards the ship and I watched her walk away in slow pace with Padme. After the ship took off, I sighed and began to walk back to our own transport. It was only a month and a half away before we send the shipment off to Onderon. I had scheduled a meeting with the king of Onderon so he knows I'm arriving alone this time.

My mother and returned to our home and I left for the stables, still in my dress and high heels. I opened up some of the stables to let the Dalgos out and roam the open fields in the back yard. I would spend hours watching the beautiful creatures and it made me so happy to see them so carefree.

I couldn't stay in the house for much longer—I decided to take off towards the inner cities of Raxus and meet up with my friends in a local food bar. While we were eating dinner, I saw the screen flash explosions and several off-world aliens. It was Coruscant! There was an attack on Coruscant!

My water was spit clear across the table and on one of my friends as I jumped up and stared at the screen. What happened? We didn't order an attack on Coruscant! Did we?

"Oh no… What will Ahsoka think of me now? She'll think we were lying to her…" I trailed off and stared at the screen for much longer than I should have. It took all of my strength to turn my back on the screen and walk back towards my friends as they continued to chat and I sat myself in silence, sipping on the drink in front of me.

The whirlwind of emotions that occurred to me that day was quite overwhelming right after I left the food bar and went back home to the gardens and enjoyed the colors that were strewn about in beautiful disarray across the greens. I sat on a stone bench near the waterfall and stuck my hand within the water, feeling the colorful fish inside twirl themselves around my wrists.

It was an exercise to earn this beautiful Jedi's trust in the first place… I didn't want to lose it so suddenly. But maybe I'm overreacting… Maybe someone else had attacked Coruscant, like a local militia strike or maybe even rebels. But the chances of that are incredibly slim, sadly. No one else would dare attack that world; it hasn't been touched in hundreds of years.

Maybe Dooku was just as slippery as the Republic suspected… Maybe they're incredible twisted ways are getting very out of hand… Or maybe the threat was laid inside the Republic itself… A conspiracy!

"That has to be it…" Nothing else would make sense, honestly. As someone who has deduced politics and negotiations down to a T, I know about conspiracies.

I arose from my bench and headed back towards my home to lay down finally for bed. I've had an unfairly long day.


	4. Chapter 4

It's been 2 months since the pleasantries with Miss Padme and the beautiful Jedi girl. It didn't matter how many days passed—I couldn't stop thinking about her beautiful sparkling eyes; her beautiful orange skin; her glorious white sharp teeth; her graceful presence; her… everything!

But even as I awoke, ready to make the drop to Onderon, I knew deep down that today wasn't going to be pleasant at all. I had finally arisen from the comfort from underneath the covers and tossed them aside, running to my wardrobe and collecting a new dress for the day. This one was quite a bit fuller around the legs with layers of white skirts underneath for warmth. I pulled my black cloak around my shoulders and in turn, my black gloves.

My gray tights reached my midsection and my boots I pulled on stopped just below the hemline of my dress. After I was dressed, I brushed out my slightly longer hair and simply put a simple product in it to give it the wavy look I like so much. After all that was finished, I pranced down the steps towards the kitchens where—instead of my mother, I was met with handmaidens informing me that my mom had a very urgent conference to attend and I was to make the drop in the morning.

I loaded the Dalgos on the cargo hold one by one into the stables I had made for them by professional ship modifiers. I was quite a good pilot on the side of what my father had taught me back before the attack on Argona. I have treasured his teachings on how to fix a hyperdrive and it sits within my memory for me to never ever forget it.

So when the ship emerged from Hyperspace into the Onderon atmosphere, I set it down outside of Isis where settlers were waiting for the ship to land and for me to load the Dalgos off. I powered down the turbine binders and lowered the docking ramp, walking across the cargo hold and down the ramp to the landing platform.

"You must be Lexie," A tall man told me. He had deep brown skin and combed back hair with simple clothes on him that blended in well with the surroundings. I've usually met the people before that come for the shipment, but not him. "I'm glad you made it on time."

"You should never underestimate a senator's daughter. This isn't the only thing I have to do today," I wasn't lying about that. I have to make a run into the city for special herbs and spices; and fruits for my mother's favorite dinner. And Yastgan root is very hard to find at your local market, but it's local on Onderon.

"I trust you can handle relocating the Dalgos while I head into the city for a few hours? I need to make a few stops by the shops," I said to him, gesturing to the satchel on my shoulder full of credits for my future purchases.

" _You_ shouldn't underestimate a Onderon settler, miss," He said, smiling as he offered his hand. "My name is Saw. Saw Gerrera,"

"Charmed, Mr. Gerrera," I took his hand and he bent over halfway, kissing my gloved hand. I couldn't help the lame smile that etched across my lips as he stood up straight. "Well, it's been fun, but I must get going. I'll see you in an hour," I curtsied and stepped towards the city. When I got there, droids were waiting right outside of the wall.

"Identification, please." It said in its emotionless voice as I handed him my ID. It questioned my business on the planet and let me inside. Once I was inside, I could see just how much the Separatist army has taken over. Not only are droids at the checkpoints, but they were all over the city, crawling about the shops and interrogating the innocents of the city.

"King Dendup would never allow this…" I muttered to myself and went about my business in the shops. When I had gathered everything that I needed, I was making my way back to the gates when I saw incoming airships. They were Separatist controlled ships and as soon as they landed, an entire battalion of droids emerged from inside of the ships.

"What is happening?" I heard someone scream from the gates. As soon as I walked outside of the gates, many people were forced inside and the gates sealed them inside. I ran away from the city as fast as I could and towards the landing platform where everyone was in a flurry of emotions.

"Mr. Gerrera!" I called out for him. "What is happening? Why did those airships just invade?"

He stood silent. "You better go home, miss." Was all he said before running away from the platform. I ran up the docking ramp and towards the front seat where I fired up the turbines and engine binders before setting course for Raxus.

The whole travel through hyperspace, I was trying to contact my mother through the comm. She wasn't responding and it was scaring me. We had to do something about our home before it gets overrun with droids and Dooku takes over. King Dendup is in charge of Onderon, not Dooku.

I finally entered the atmosphere of Raxus and landed on the landing platform, not even waiting for the ramp to lower all the way before I bolted for the house. But when I got there… The door was ripped off the hinges and smoke was billowing from inside.

I knew something was wrong. And not the typical wrong like when I left the oven on with our dinner inside of it… No, I know something's wrong because of the handmaiden's bloody hand in the doorway.

I very slowly stepped inside, and sure enough, there was the body of the handmaiden, blaster bolts pierced through her whole body and blood pooled at her mouth. I don't know why I checked her neck for a pulse… I knew she was dead. I stepped away from her body and went into the kitchen where a pan on the burner was on fire. I ignored it and went around to the dining area where blaster bolts were embedded into the walls.

"Mother?" I called through the empty house, hoping there would be a response. There was none…

I headed up the stairs and towards my mother's room. I looked at the control panel on the walls and saw… lightsaber slices? The Jedi were here?

Very slowly, I walked into the room, but as soon as I crossed the doorway, I heard a beeping. I dived out of the way of the doorway and there was a huge explosion inside the room. And when the smoke cleared… blood was covering the walls.

The explosion had taken me off my feet and into a wall so if I were to stand, it would hurt like hell. I crawled towards the door and felt blood drip from the doorframe and onto my nose. Very slowly, I crawled inside and… It was her…

I saw my mother… her hand was all that was left of her… I saw the gleam of her wedding ring on her ring finger… My mother…

I couldn't stand it! I ran for my room and locked the door, tearing off my now blood stained clothes. My mother's blood was on me!

I ran for the refresher and turned on the water to the highest and hottest setting, jumping in and scrubbing away the blood as best as I could, using my whole bottle of shampoo and turning off the water.

I dried off and blow dried my hair, combing it as quickly as possible before searching my wardrobe for the dress my mother had gotten me yesterday. It was a pale blue color with a dark navy blue sash at the waist and a white trim. The sleeves connected to the top of my hands and at the shoulders was a black cape with a hood. I pulled on my navy blue scarf and black gloves. I pulled on my white tights and bright baby blue boots and ran. Ran from the house so freaking fast that I didn't know where I was going. I avoided the blood on my way out and went back inside of the cargo ship, raising the ramp and locking it down.

My mother is dead… my house is destroyed… There's no way the Jedi could have done this. I saw something strange on the way out and now I know what it is… A battle droid finger.

"Dooku…" It had to be him. The Republic is not this ruthless to attack the senator's home. They couldn't be. It was Dooku. He wanted the peace negotiations to be silenced! He knew my mother had something to do with it!

He killed my mother! What was I supposed to do? Sit back and wait for the authorities to handle it? I knew where I needed to go…

The hearing of the Separatist and Republic senators is tomorrow. The neutral ground they have selected for the negotiations is Mandalore… I have to contact them in time and think of a plan… I have 24 hours. I can do this… My father trained me for things like this.


	5. Chapter 5

I haven't changed my clothes all day. I've been in the same dress since I left the house. I really don't want to take it off; it's much to comforting to have something of my mother's. I strapped the device to my wrist and inhaled slowly. The ship touched down on the landing platform and I put down the ramp, breathing slowly. The droids tried talking to me but I ignored them as I made my way to the throne room.

I could hear Miss Padme's voice… I asked for an audience with Duchess Satine and the separatists. They knew who I was so they let me in. "-But there is nothing we can change that has already occurred."

"Say it aloud, before this gathering! As representative for Chancellor Palpatine, that you declare, without reservation, the Separatist state legitimate!" What a schutta. I never liked that senator, she was always so rude and horrible to my mother and I hated it.

Well, with the Republic quiet, I guess I should speak up. "I have something to say about the legitimacy of the Separatists!" Oh, you bet your ass I have something to say.

"Why is Alexis Bonteri here?" The purple-eyed senator said out loud. I growled in my throat as the royal guards escorted me to the front. And on my way up… I saw Ahsoka! I can't believe she's here. I mean, I knew they would need a Jedi escort for miss Padme but I wasn't expecting her!

I blushed just slightly and bowed down to Duchess Satine who allowed me to speak.

"I stand before you, daughter of Mina Bonteri, loyal Separatist, a patriot… A friend," I stared into Ahsoka's eyes, knowing that she knew me as her friend. I got what I was hoping to high heaven I would get; her smile.

Focus, Lexie! You're here for a reason. Speak up! "It has come to my attention… that my mother was murdered by Count Dooku in cold blood!"

"This is a lie!" How dare he say I am a liar? You fat load, no one asked for you to stand up! "Remove this traitor at once!" You bastard!

Two droids were approaching me and they put their hands on my arms. I hated it so much that the people that I belonged to my whole life would not see reason for more than two seconds! They would silence one of their own! "I will not be silenced!" I tried to pull myself free from the grip of the droids but it wasn't working.

"Stop this!" Duchess Satine commanded. Well crap, she won't listen either.

"We would ask you to respect that we deal with this matter ourselves!" The purple eyed senator said to Duchess Satine.

"No!" I screamed, kicking up my feet as the droids carried me out of the throne room. "Dooku is deceiving you! You will all be betrayed!" This had to reach someone… "Just like my mother!"

I knew exactly where they were taking me. I stopped fighting as they dragged me off to the communications tower and looked down at my wrist, seeing the red flashing light. I covered it with my sleeve as the droids dragged me into the lift and took me up to the top of the tower where I was thrown down onto the floor.

My dress sprawled above my knees and tangled around my legs as I hit my head on the floor. The glow of the holo shined down on the floor.

"Those are some heavy accusations you've levied against me." Because they're true, you bastard.

"You know what you did, Dooku…" I growled. He knows exactly what he's done. I got up off of the floor, tripping on my dress and standing on one knee, looking down at my wrist where I turned the device on.

The hologram of Dooku looked down at me. "Do I? I have done a lot of things, young lady. And I choose to remember them in order of importance…" Oh, so murdering my mother wasn't important enough for you to remember, you slimy piece of Bantha fodder?

"The death of your mother seems to have… escaped me." Oh, you better remember it like your life depends on it!

"You think you'll get away with this, Dooku? Have you forgotten who my father was? I will have my revenge." I rose to my feet and stared at the hologram, waiting for a response.

"I think it is time we reacquaint the young senator with her mother." Oh crap. "Kill her!" The hologram deactivated itself and I turned around just in time to see the droids pointing their blasters at me. This was not good.

I reached for my back pocket for my taser but the door slid open just as I had hold of it. It was her!

"Ahsoka?" I tried adjusting to the sudden change of light but it was hard. It didn't matter; she used the force to bash one of the droids skulls and jumped up, kicking another one into its deactivation. That was very smooth…

"Lexie, I think it's time to go," She held out her hand.

"Good idea!" I grabbed her hand as she yanked me into the lift and activated her comm. "Artoo, fire up the engines; we're leaving!" That was very comforting that she said 'we'. I won't be alone on Carlacc… That's good, and that's bad. The lift doors opened and what I saw could only be described as hell.

The long ramp down to the long hallway where we could be bombarded with droids? Eep. But luckily, Ahsoka was with me. She leaped forward and took out the droids standing nearby and told me to run. Again.

"Hurry, hurry!" She commanded, running through a glass hallway and ducking to avoid the blue blaster fire. "Keep moving!"

"Ahsoka, you're very sweet to help me but-"

"We'll talk later, Lexie; when we're not dead!" She said, grabbing my hand and dragging me down the halls to a nearby landing platform.

"Captain Taggard!" She yelled to the man in blue arms. "We've got incoming clankers!"

"We'll cover you, sir!" Captain Taggard said to her. Oh, my goodness, if I wasn't about to die, this might just be the most impressive thing in the world. She's just a Padawan! A mere apprentice to the Jedi, and she commands those troops as if she was born for it!

Ahsoka pulled me onto the ship and sat me down as it took off to space. A hologram activated next to Ahsoka and I saw a very handsome man appear. I looked with interest.

"Ahsoka, Padme just contacted me. She told me that peace negotiations have all but collapsed. Where are you?" The man said. Ahsoka knew this man personally? I'm very impressed.

"I'm on route to Coruscant, master-" Okay, so this is the Jedi Master that has trained her? "I have Lexie Bonteri here with me," I guess I should apologize for all of the commotion I raised at that conference.

"Master Jedi, forgive me if I've caused you trouble,"

"It's nothing," Ahsoka said to me. Yep, I was red in the face. She was so quick to defend me and it made me so happy. "You'll be safe now, with the Republic."

I looked down at my feet and sighed. I really don't want to have to do this.

"All right, bring Bonteri to Coruscant immediately and we'll discuss giving her Amnesty." That's a comforting thought.

"Yes, master." The hologram ceased and I rose to my feet.

"Ahsoka, don't take me to Coruscant." Yep, this was me begging her. I can't join the Republic; I don't trust them. I know something must have happened to make the peace negotiations collapse like this. And they didn't just kill my mother for placing the bill upon the floor. Someone higher is at work here, and I can guarantee its base line is the Republic.

"Wh-What?" Ahsoka seemed confused that I did not want to go there.

"I have a plan… And it's not with the Republic. It's on Carlac." I stared out the window of the cockpit.

"Lexie, you feel alone. I understand that. You want help, and I understand that too… And the Republic will help you-"

"Sure, like they helped my mother?! She died because she housed a Republic senator. And they wouldn't protect her!" I shouted in Ahsoka's face. She was in denial about how the Republic will help me. No one will help me. No one but those who take action; and the Republic will never take action.

"You weren't there, Ahsoka. You didn't see how my mother's blood painted the walls, how they murdered each and every one of our handmaidens. How when I found her, I had to crawl through my mother's own blood just to find out that she had been the one to explode... And her insides painted the walls and windows. She was murdered by Dooku. And I will not just sit here as he prepares to ignore this. Mina Bonteri will not die in vain. Not like my father."

"What are you suggesting I do?" Ahsoka demanded, pulling on my arm. I glared into her beautiful blue eyes and got lost in them once more. It drowned the fire inside of me… but only for a moment.

"Take me to Carlac, Ahsoka. I can show you," I begged her, but had that evil glare on my face as I did so. She won't budge unless I show her that I can be a brick wall, just like her. I know I can be. So I stared her down.

"I'm sorry, Lexie. But I'm taking you to Coruscant." She sounded so protective and so sad for me; I really didn't want to do this, but she was leaving me slim choices! "Your plan hasn't exactly been well thought out. I mean, without me," I reached into my sash around my waist and pulled free the taser, powering it up and feeling my hands shake as a loud high pitched buzzing rang through the whole ship.

"How did you think you were going to escape those droids?" She sat herself down at the controls and didn't face me, staring out the main windshield and focusing on the empty space ahead for her Hyperdrive to register. I gulped and spoke slowly.

"Like this," It was barely above a whisper as I pressed the taser into her ribcage and sent the electrical shock throughout her entire body. A single tear fell from my cheek. With my mother dead, and having to tase my beautiful Jedi, I was slowly slipping into a dark vacuum of depression. Ahsoka's entire body went limp and her head fell upon my chest. I could only speak four words, knowing that if I said more, I would break down into tears.

"Forgive me, my Jedi..." I dragged her away to the seat behind the co-pilot and lifted her head as she breathed slowly. I removed my cape and placed it over her body, shaking as I did so. I removed her lightsabers from her belt and jumped up when the door opened, revealing Artoo.

"It seems that she's quite exhausted. Some rest should do her good," I held the lightsabers behind my back and backed out of the room, running to a locker quickly and placing them inside before running back to the front seat and taking control of the ship. I typed in the coordinates for Carlac and felt the Hyperdrive power to life and it took me to Carlac.

The whole time I was in Hyperspace, I pulled on my gloves and put on my hat that I remember my father getting me 2 years ago. It had his first military badge on the front of it. I adjusted the beanie on my head and looked back at Ahsoka who was still sleeping soundly. I sighed and brushed my hand against her cheek.

I hope she can forgive me for all the trouble I have caused to her… Oh, the worst part about watching her sleep is that I can't see her eyes! Oh, the ocean of blue I long to stare at…


	6. Chapter 6

The snow was practically biting at my cheeks. I am not used to the snow—we never got it on Raxus. I gently leaned down and brushed some snow off my boots and straightened my jacket, securing my scarf around my neck and shivering in place.

This shouldn't take very long… Just give them the information I have and then I can wait for things to explode within the Separatists. I stood in the snow, blowing air from my lungs and gazing at my own breath in wonder. But my brief happiness had been broken by a sweet angelic voice… That was angry with me!

"Lexie!" Ahsoka's voice reached my ears and I frowned. "Where did you bring me, and where did you put my lightsabers?!" She said, glaring at me. I bit my lip and could taste my cherry lip cover.

"You should have stayed on the ship…" Was all I got out before I heard the revving of jetpacks. In front of us, several armored people landed on the ground, snow kicking up around us and chilling my nose. I felt Ahsoka pull me backwards and put her arms around me, getting into a fighting stance. I grabbed her hands and put them down by her sides; the last thing I need is for her to get us into any trouble.

"Hey kid," I heard a woman's voice. "You're late." I turned and faced the woman that I had originally had a holo-call with and managed my nicest smile. All I could hear was Ahsoka whispering into my ear.

" _Death Watch."_

I bit my lip and just wrapped my hands around my back, standing up straight. The woman, Bo-Katan, approached me very slowly. "You have what we asked for?" She said.

"I have the information, yes ma'am." I pressed my lips in a straight line. Bo-Katan looked at Ahsoka. This can't end well…

"Who's this?" She said. I was about to come up with a lie. "She's my-"

"I await orders, Miss Bonteri." Ahsoka uttered. I blinked in shock and turned to stare at her before clearing my throat.

"She's my handmaiden. The last one that's alive," I told her, grabbing Ahsoka's hand and holding it tightly. I leaned down and whispered to her a thank you.

"If you say so, kid." Suddenly, we all heard a whistling and I turned to see R2-D2. He had Ahsoka's sabers. I shook my head at him and Ahsoka did the same, a look of fear in her eyes. He hid them before any Death Watch saw him. I breathed with relief and looked at Ahsoka.

"We leave now. The snow is coming," Bo-Katan said. A male Death Watch member approached me.

"Would you like to ride with me?" He said. I could feel the smirk behind his damned Mandalorian helmet and growled in my throat.

"Actually, I would prefer my own." I approached the one bike that was his and mounted it, starting it up. I turned around and saw them leading Ahsoka towards me and lifting R2-D2 into the speeder. I held out my hand for Ahsoka and she slapped it away, getting on behind me and wrapping her arms around my waist. I sighed deeply before revving the bike, following behind Death Watch. Ahsoka began whispering to me.

"You made a huge mistake, Lexie… You just put everyone here in danger—especially yourself," I don't know what she saw. They seemed pretty mild mannered, as far as I could tell.

"Listen, I know you don't like this, and I'm not particularly fond of being in a militia camp full of terrorists, but if _this_ is what it takes for my mother's death to be avenged—to bring peace to my family name—then so be it." I gripped the handle bars with an anguish I wasn't interested in feeling at the moment.

"You can avenge your mother by not being a butcher like Dooku." Ahsoka was so dull in her statement that it shook me to my core. I felt an anger that I've never felt in my entire life. How dare she compare me to that monster?! How dare she say that I am no better than him!?

I couldn't stop myself. Before I knew what had come over me, I stopped the bike, turned around, and the back of my hand met her face. Her head whipped to the side and she closed her eyes, a bright red mark forming over her cheekbone. I growled deep in my throat.

"Don't you dare compare me to that monster of a man, you hear me?" I snapped. I snapped so hard I could feel myself breaking. It was the final turning point for me. All of Death Watch just witnessed me slap her. I felt the guilt in my heart but the anger in my blood. How I couldn't stand to see just how shocked and scared she was… It looked as if she was about to cry… I made a noise of anger and turned the speeder back on and continued to follow Death Watch to their camp.

The place was less than pleasant. The tents were torn and tattered. Everywhere I looked, there were trigger happy morons picking on droids, shooting at their feet and setting them on fire. I bit my lip and looked around, seeing flaming barrels of… I don't even want to know. I turned off the bike and dismounted it, refusing to see Ahsoka's cold dead stare. Bo-Katan led us to a tent and I walked inside, shivering slightly.

"Boss we'll see you soon." She said, leaving the tent. Ahsoka and I stood there in complete silence. I didn't dare meet her eyes.

"Ahsoka… I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me back there," I stood up and put my hand on her shoulder, finally making eye contact with her. Ahsoka closed her eyes and turned her head away from mine. "Please don't do that… I need you now more than ever."

"What do you need me for?! You seem pretty content with throwing all of us to the damned kath hounds!" Ahsoka shouted, shoving my chest and pushing me backward, my body meeting the cold ground. I felt my skirts tangle around my legs and soreness in my legs. I looked up at her and bit my lip.

"These are the Death Watch! They're gonna kill us both!" 

"Can't you at least _pretend_ that you have faith in my plan?" I snapped, standing up and brushing off the snow on my dress.

"What plan?!" Ahsoka said, laughing in disbelief. I glared at her and pulled up my sleeve, exposing my wrist.

"This," I began. "It's a holo-trace device. I knew that by accusing Dooku in open court, I would be brought before him to answer for my accusations. And that's exactly what happened! Now I know where that monster is hiding. If Death Watch is as skilled as they say they are, we can destroy him before the Republic launches another battle!" I grabbed her shoulders.

"Does that satisfy you, my lady?" I said, smirking. She looked at me like I was crazy. Now what?

"This isn't like traders or merchants, Lexie! You're not bargaining with these people! They will take the information and kill you! They're murderers—sworn to destroy Jedi! You have no idea what you're doing, this is—" I looked up and saw shadows approaching the tents and I put my hand over her mouth, silencing her.

"Quiet!" I whispered harshly. She made a noise under my hand but I removed it as someone approached us, pulling the tent flap away.

"So, you must be Lexie Bonteri." The man said. He was the other… Pre- Vizsla, as I recall. I bowed to him and smiled.

"That's correct." I responded. He removed his helmet and I saw the scar across his nose and under his eye, down his cheek.

"It's time to talk business, Bonteri. Tell your slave to leave us," That was kind of harsh. I looked at Ahsoka and nodded my head at her.

"I'll come get you later. You're dismissed." Was all I said to her as Bo-Katan dragged her out of the tent. I bit my lip and remained standing even as Pre-Vizsla sat down. He looked at me like I was a fool.

"Well, sit down, Bonteri. I won't hurt you," I shrugged and sat down across from him. "Unless you give me a reason to." Yep. I wanted to run.

I glanced down at my wrist and looked at Vizsla, expecting something other than… A form of hospitality. He doesn't look like he's in the friend making business. More of the gutting type of business. So when he opened his mouth, I was expecting him to ask for the info. But I didn't get that.

"I'm sorry for your loss. It's not easy losing someone you really love," I looked up with a shocked expression. The Death Watch can _feel_? Whoa, new in my books. My mother always said they were heartless terrorists that only cared about getting the job done.

I bit my lip and remembered my mother… A horrible memory of when I last saw her… Or, what was left of her, to be exact.

"Thank you, sir. But I will be more at peace with her death when that monster is wiped free from the galaxy. He's polluted the honor of my home," Even I was surprised about the venom in my tone. What am I becoming? Is Ahsoka right about me? Am I a butcher?

… No! I want justice! I want equality. I want my mother to be able to rest in peace… I'm nothing like that man. Nothing. Get it out of your head, Lexie! You're better than this!

"Bonteri?" Oh, he was talking to me?

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I said, scratching my cheek nervously.

"I said," Vizsla started. "Do you have the info I need?" I looked down at my wrist and took off the holo-locator and stood up.

"This little device," I approached him and placed it in his hand. "Will tell you where to go." Once he took it from me, I gulped and waited for what he was going to do. He stood up, inspected it, and laughed.

"Now, wasn't that painless? Less messy when you cooperate," He said, putting his hand on my shoulder and moving it to my cheek. His gloved finger glided over my skin and it was cold, no—Uncomfortable.

"Let's celebrate, Bonteri! To being business partners," Vizsla smiled at me. I smiled back, smoothening my skirts out over my legs and biting my lip. He lead me from the tent and outside where the snow bit at my cheeks again. My biggest concern then began to creep back up my spine and worm its way into my brain.

"Where's my handmaiden?" It felt wrong to call someone of such high regard something as low as a handmaiden. But for her safety, I was willing to risk lots. Ahsoka is important to me. And now that she's here, I will do anything to protect her.

"She's with the other women, preparing the food." Wow, that was degrading. I gulped down my insults and looked anywhere but at the crimes against nature and looked around, hoping I would see a glimpse of orange skin. That beautiful bright orange skin that I absolutely love—not as much as her gorgeous eyes though. But sadly, I could not find her.

That is, until I entered the tent where all of Death Watch was sitting at various tables and places off to the side. Young women roamed the entirety of the tent with trays that had bowls sitting on top of them. And among the girls, I saw her.

This was not her area of comfort. This is a girl that fights wars, overcomes monsters, and even brings peace to entire worlds! And here she is, serving soup to terrorists. If I didn't feel guilty already, I do now.

Vizsla lead me to a completely vacant table where I sat and began to chew on my thumb nail. I was taught to sit with perfect posture, my ankles crossed, hands on my lap, and smiling politely. That went out the damn window.

I was slouched over, my elbows resting on my knees and my fingertips between my teeth. My hair was ruffled under my hat because of the wind and snow. My eyes were probably bloodshot and under my eyes were dark purple. My feet were bouncing up and down on their toes and my heels kept thudding against the ground. I refused eye contact. I was not smiling. I wasn't… feeling anything. Anything but regret, despair, and dark spiraling depression.

I suddenly got a horrible feeling in my stomach. A dreadful, awful feeling. Ahsoka was right… I should have gone to the Republic. Maybe then, she wouldn't have been giving me this look… I knew that look anywhere—I've seen it a thousand times before from my mother when she found out how I was different from other girls. How my… sexuality was keeping me from being the perfect daughter.

Is this the look of repulsed? Bitter? Disappointed? No—this, this is the look of condemning rage.


	7. Chapter 7

Have I mentioned that Ahsoka hates my guts? I can see her across the room, being as polite as possible to the Death Watch, and I can't help but feel the most bile rising guilt in my entire life.

Ahsoka began walking towards me and I could feel myself rocking back and forth. It felt like my outer walls of my sanity were closing in around me. That look from her—it was more heartbreaking than anything in my entire life. How dare I even think of laying one finger on her? Why did I hurt her? It was one of the biggest mistakes of my entire life… I harmed my Jedi. I harmed Ahsoka.

"You okay, Bonteri?" Vizsla said, putting his hand on my back. I had to make up an excuse.

"I-I'm not used to the cold, that's all." I said, my cheeks turning red, not with cold, but with embarrassment. I was treading on very thin ice—lying to a mercenary. But it seemed to go well for me. I then felt something around my shoulders. He put a blanket on my shoulders! I couldn't be rude. I sat up straight and smiled.

Honestly, that was rather sweet of him. Even though he barely acknowledged his own actions. I brought the blanket up to my nose and smelled it. It smelled of… motor oil and peppermint… Like my dad! He used peppermint aftershave and was a mechanic to the family. It made me feel safe.

Ahsoka finally reached next to me, making her walk feel like forever. "Hungry, mistress?" She said, bending down to offer me a bowl of soup. Maybe the heat will warm my hands. I grabbed a bowl of the soup and wrapped my hands around them.

"Careful! Don't choke on your stupidity," She said in a harsh whisper. I frowned and looked down at the orange colored liquid in the bowl as the steam rose to my nose and cleared my sinuses a little bit. I sniffled.

"I see your handmaiden has fit in well," Vizsla remarked in my ear. "Now what about you?" He eyed me like a hawk.

"I-I don't know what you mean… Fitting in?" Before he could respond, someone interrupted him.

"Vizsla!" I looked up and saw… Native Carlacc people! They live in a nearby village, as Vizsla told me. Apparently, he's been making a mockery of their Chieftain, Pieter. But it's a one-sided story. What has he really been doing to these poor people?

"Chieftain Pieter… I don't remember summoning you?" Vizsla stood up, bowl in his hands. This should be interesting.

"You have taken our women, stolen our food, and threatened us for too long!" The Chieftain said, directing a finger towards Vizsla. This doesn't seem right...

"It's brave of you to come here with such bold words," Vizsla said. I turned to look at Ahsoka who had put down the tray already. I slowly began to walk towards her but when she saw me, she moved away. I gulped down the sadness and just turned around, going back to Vizsla's side. Bo-Katan glanced at me and I turned my head away, looking at the Chieftain.

"You are no longer welcome here!" The Chieftain shouted anger clear on the man's face. I looked at Vizsla, waiting for a reaction. But his face was like stone…

Vizsla began to bow to the Chieftain. "Well, if our presence isn't welcome here, we'll make ready to leave." Wait, what? That seemed too easy… Vizsla doesn't look like the kind of person that would bend like that. The Death Watch as a whole doesn't seem like a group that would do that…

The Death Watch began laughing. Oh no…

"And you'll return our people to us?" The Chieftain asked.

"Sunrise, tomorrow. You have my word." I looked at Vizsla in curiosity. Pieter agreed to this and bid them farewell. It was humble of them, honestly.

But I know from experience that when someone seems humble, they are hiding their evil schemes.

I chose to ignore it for the night and get a long night's sleep. It was restless though, because I knew Ahsoka was close by but must have been absolutely terrified.

The next morning was like a harsh punch to the face. Well, almost. I woke to Bo-Katan slapping me in the chest. I coughed, sat up quickly, and bashed my face against her helmet, sending myself back down on the stupid cot.

"Ow, okay…" I groaned and rolled out of the cot and into the snow. Bo-Katan was laughing at me as she helped me stand up. I felt my legs get wobbly but I stood, running my hands down my skirt and reaching for my hat, running my fingers through my messy hair.

I really need a haircut. It seems like there's a cat living on my head. Anyway, I put my hat back on and go out in the bitter cold again. Vizsla insisted that I ride in the speeder today. And Ahsoka, she was sitting on the side of it. Once they began to drive us to that nearby village, I knew something was wrong…

I could feel that this would be awful for everyone, especially the innocent villagers. I left the speeder as elegantly as possible and felt snow gather around my feet as they hit the ground. I looked around at the quaint little village and saw Vizsla land in front of the Death Watch crowd. The girl behind him was a villager.

"You have kept your word," Pieter said. "We are very grateful for your understanding." He said, bowing his head in respect. But we all heard jetpacks that surrounded the perimeter, landing on every other roof of the village.

"I am a man of my word." Vizsla said, grabbing the girl's arm and shoving her towards Pieter. "Here is your granddaughter—as promised!" Vizsla removed a sort of dark sword from his back and swiftly stabbed the girl in the back!

I gasped, my hands going over my mouth. Ahsoka jumped forward and caught the girl before she hit the ground. I backed away from the scene and gulped down my fear and pain inside my chest.

"Kill them!" Vizsla shouted. "Kill them all!" I felt a heat from above and saw the Death Watch setting homes and buildings on fire.

The villagers could do nothing but watch their home burn. I could do nothing but watch it burn…

"How could you… What are you doing?!" I shouted at Vizsla, my hands fisting in my hair as my hat fell into the snow.

"Never let the weak tell you what to do!" Vizsla wrapped his arm around my shoulders and laughed.

"Welcome to Death Watch!" This is not what I wanted! This isn't how things were supposed to be! I shoved him away from me and began to run from the scene. I couldn't bear this any longer! Not anymore murder!

I was at the speeder until I heard a man screaming in agony. I turned around and saw Ahsoka fighting the Death Watch with a long pole of some sort. I knew she couldn't resist fighting. I just knew she would jump in and be the hero.

I couldn't leave her there; I ran back to try and help her. Vizsla lunged at Ahsoka with his sword and sliced the pole in half. And then, there were ropes around her wrist, dragging her to the ground. They caught her! They apprehended Ahsoka!

I wouldn't stand for this. "I think we caught ourselves a Jedi!" Vizsla shouted.

"Get away from her!" I shouted, completely on impulse. I shoved him in the chest and knocked him into the snow and ran towards Ahsoka to help her free. That was my mistake. Vizsla jumped in front of her and swung his dark sword at my face. He cut me.

I could feel the burn across the bridge of my nose and blood dripping from the wound. A Death Watch man grabbed me by the hair and held a gun to my chin. I hissed in pain and looked at the hand who was holding my hostage.

"Drag her back to camp. And tie her up!" Vizsla said. They wrapped binders around my wrists and threw me into the back of the speeder. My skirt went up over my thighs and my head hit the hard steel floor. I could feel myself getting faint… Ahsoka was right… I was going to kill us both.

It felt like an eternity before the speeder halted and the two men driving turned around and stared at me. I tried to pull my skirt back down with my bound hands but it was difficult. One of the men dragged his entire palm up my thigh and torso before grabbing me by the arm and throwing me out of the speeder, laughing. This made things worse.

My skirt went up even further and tangled around my waist, exposing me completely. I whimpered at the cold snow and the burning gaze of the men on my rear end.

The men approached me and I saw their hands getting closer and closer to my skin and I lifted my foot, kicking their hands away. I felt hands in my hair once again and I was pulled to my feet by my hair. I screeched in pain.

"You two better watch yourselves," Bo-Katan. Thank the Force! "Let's go, Bonteri." She shoved me towards the tent where I saw Ahsoka held by four different ropes, on her knees. Vizsla smirked as he saw the wound on my face he created. I looked at Ahsoka with fear and then back at Vizsla as he pulled out the handle of his dark sword.

"Little missy, this doesn't look good for you. I offer you to join us in good faith and you bring a Jedi into our camp!" He shoved my shoulder and I groaned in pain.

"She wasn't meant to be here! Please, don't hurt her. Let her go," I was begging. Pleading with Death Watch. My Jedi was at stake, I would do ANYTHING!

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Bonteri." He walked over to me and put his hand on my wound, rubbing the blood across my cheek.

"I believed you were honorable mercenaries. People who believed in the right thing… But your murderers! Butchers, just like Dooku!" I growled, baring my teeth in anger. Vizsla walked up to me and in anger, his fist collided with my nose. I heard and _felt_ a loud crack on my nose and collapsed in pain and the jolt.

"You dare call us murderers when it was your own lust for revenge that made you seek these 'murderers' out! You only have yourself to blame!"

"I wanted… justice." I groaned, looking up at Vizsla. "My mother deserved to be avenged. But you dare stain my family's name…"

"The only one who has stained the Bonteri name is you!" He spat at my feet. "You shall have your justice, little girl. But the Jedi are no better than Dooku and this one shall pay in part for their crimes against Mandalore!"

I stared at Ahsoka who looked at me in… acceptance?

"So it's just like you said: It's not murder at all… It's justice!" He began to swing the sword at Ahsoka but a loud beeping interrupted him. I turned to see R2-D2 standing at the entrance of the tent. A cloud of smoke began to fill the area and I lunged at Vizsla, shoving him once more.

"Ahsoka!" I looked down and pulled on the ropes.

"I've got this!" Ahsoka said to me. "Go!" I didn't question her. R2 came up behind her and placed her lightsabers in her hand. In a split second, she had leaped up and her sabers opened, shining bright green and yellow. I jumped back as she sliced the heads of the Death Watch holding her hostage.

More Death Watch went to attack her. "Stop!" Vizsla said. "The Jedi… is mine!" He opened his dark sword and stood in battle ready.

"Lexie, get to the ship." I didn't ask any more questions. I ran outside where I saw… lots of droids. They were surrounding the tent. R2 communicated with them as well. I guess he made friends…

I began to head towards the speeder but I heard a thud and a groaning noise. Ahsoka slid across the snow and moaned in pain. I leaped into it and helped her back to her feet.

"Are you alright?" I said, brushing off her side. She nodded and looked at the army of droids in a nervous way.

"R2 made friends," I smirked. She returned the smirk and stood up, opening the sabers once more. I took the opportunity and made a dash for a speeder. I jumped into the driver's seat and revved up the engines, struggling with this particular model.

R2 made a whining noise. "I've got it! I just need to… find the—" R2 disengaged the parking break and I narrowed my eyes at the droid. "I could have done that."

I opened up the fuel hatches and made the speeder spin around and saw a huge explosion followed by Ahsoka getting blown off her feet. I pulled up alongside.

"Ahsoka, it's time to go!" I shouted.

"Good idea!" I felt my heart give a flutter in my chest. She jumped on the speeder and held onto the seats behind me. I let out a breath of relief, thinking we were in the clear.

"Ahsoka," I said over the engines. "If we don't get out of this alive… I wanted to tell you that you were right! And I'm sorry!" I shouted.

Ahsoka stayed silent before responding with, "I'm sorry I called you a butcher! I understand now," She said in my ear. I sighed with content that she forgave me…

But I was too happy too soon. There was a huge explosion next to the speeder and Ahsoka landed on the engine, looking up. I couldn't turn around to see what she was looking at, I had to focus. All I could hear were gunshots, lightsabers, and cries of battle. I did as much as I could to keep them from shooting out the engines.

I then heard a clatter. Ahsoka's lightsabers were on the control dash. I turned around for a brief second and saw Ahsoka use the force to knock the assailant away. "That's two I owe you," She must've been talking to R2.

I heard another bang and then gunshots. There was a loud sound of anguish and I saw Ahsoka out of my peripheral vision, hanging onto the side of the speeder for dear life. She couldn't get solid ground anywhere.

I tilted the speeder a little and heard a thud before seeing her jump up and back into the fight. There was the sound of a knife being unsheathed and then a body flying in front of the speeder. I ran straight passed it and followed the path all the way to the ship.

I jumped out of the speeder and ran up the ramp, waiting for Ahsoka and R2 before closing the ramp and breathing heavily. Ahsoka bolted up the ramp the rest of the way and I stared as she ran passed me and up to the cockpit. And it was only then that I realized what I needed to do. I needed to leave.

I couldn't go with her, even after all of this. I couldn't go with her.

I ran to the ladder. I slid down the ladder. I jumped from the ladder. I ran into the escape pod… I bit my lip and held my breath as I closed the door and activated the pod. There was no way I could get away without her calling me out. She knows everything…

I ran to the controls at the front of the escape pod and started to punch in the coordinates. And then, I heard a bang. I knew it.

"Lexie! What are you doing?!" She shouted through the glass. I turned around and approached her. She deserves to know.

"I can't go with you to the Republic… You know this," I said, sighing deeply, not meeting her depressed gaze. Her blue eyes were so upset… They looked like shining stars.

"But… We can try! Try to change things… Together… Please," She was begging. I was this close to giving in… Please, stay strong Lexie. You need this.

"We made a pretty good team," I said, regarding her remark about us together. "Don't we?"

That smile… She was glowing! I couldn't help but get so sad when she looked away from me and down towards the floor. I wanted to grab her and… Stop it, Lexie. She doesn't see that. Don't let her see it.

"Don't be sad… We'll meet again, my lady Jedi… I promise you," I reached out and put my hand on the glass, almost on the verge of tears. Ahsoka did the same… I put my forehead to the glass and sniffled. It wouldn't be long before the locks disengage.

"Be careful, Lexie…" She said. I felt my heart turn in my chest as the locks clicked, releasing the escape pod. I kept my hand on the glass and felt a tear fall free from my eyes… I did it… I did the most painful thing that has been a part of this whole ordeal. It hurt more than the fear. More than the dark sword slicing my skin… Even more than her anger.

I said goodbye to my Jedi for the second time.


	8. Chapter 8

How long have I been flying? I don't know, but it's been quite a while. The worst part about this decision to run? The hyperdrive for this escape pod is busted.

I was able to set coordinates and power up the navi, but when I tried to activate the hyperdrive, there was a whirring sound and then a crashing noise from under the floor. I knew that wasn't good, so I decided to not test my luck with the whole pod exploding. I powered down the hyperdrive and set the coordinates. There was only one place I could go, now. One place where I knew I was safe…

"Home," I whispered, the planet finally coming into view. It was Onderon. I wouldn't go back to Raxus, ever. I know it's a horrible thing for me to do, but to go back would be to face that scene once more and I don't know if I could stomach that. I was entering the atmosphere of Onderon and I decided to land a few miles away from the landing pad and scavenge this pod to see what I could come up with.

After I searched the compartment bins above the passenger seats behind me, I found a stun ray and a new set of clothes. Finally out of the ripped and gross dress, I pulled on the black jumpsuit that seemed to conform to my body. I pulled on my boots and my gloves, grabbing a first aid kit as well. I rummaged through it and put a fresh bandage on my nose before lowering the ramp and locking the pod down.

As soon as that was all finished, I made my journey to the landing pad. But as soon as I began the trek through the forest, I was attacked! I had to fall to the ground on my stomach to not get carried off by a Ruping! I looked up at the creature as it cried at me. The Ruping circled around before landing against the ground and it wasn't until then that I saw there was a person on the Ruping's shoulders.

She looked familiar… "Don't move! Identify yourself, now." I gulped in fear and put my hands above my head.

"Okay… Um, m-my name is Lexie… Please, don't shoot. I'm not here to hurt you," I wasn't. I just wanted to come back home… The last time I was here, the world was erupting in blaster fire and chaos.

"I don't know that. Why are you here?" She lifted a sniper rifle and I flinched slightly.

"I just wanted to come home! Okay, um… does the name Mina Bonteri mean anything to you?" The woman's anger seemed to rise at the mention of her name.

"Our Senator who disbanded us. No one knows where she went." I glared at her.

"She did not disband you! She was murdered!" I threw my hands down in anger and stared at the woman's cold eyes. "Don't you dare speak ill of my mother."

"Wait…" The rifle was lowered. "You're Lexie Bonteri?"

"That's right. The last time I was here, a landing coordinator was urging me off the planet. His name was-"

"Saw Gererra. Get on," the woman held her hand out for me to take and I grabbed it. She pulled me onto the Ruping. "Hang on… _yah!_ " She snapped the reigns and the Ruping took off. I squeaked in surprise and wrapped my hands around her small waist and gulped in fear.

Dalgos are one thing, but Rupings are a whole new swoop track. I watched the scenery shrink under the altitude and I observed the planet around me. Such a beautiful place must be preserved. I was admiring things until I saw something in the distance. There were electrical currents and pulsating strikes coming from an electrical plant… It was built for Droids! Specifically, Separatist war droids.

"What happened here?" I said over the wind.

"It was only a while ago when our home was taken by the Separatist army. With Mina and King Dendup gone, the planet shattered." It was all she told me. I bit my lip and saw us dive into a small camp where there was a large fire pit in the middle. I waited for landing before I finally got off the Ruping, sighing deeply when I did.

"So my home has been the victim of corruption." I said more to myself. The woman led me into the camp where I saw many others wearing a similar garb that she was. Some had wounds, more had soon to be scars, not actually wounds any longer. But among the men and women with guns and knives, I saw one.

"Saw!" I sprinted across the whole open courtyard that has seen much better days. The man in question had turned around and squinted, the light hitting his eyes. I stopped myself from hugging him and settled for standing in front of him.

Saw stared at me. Just… stared at me! "You remember me, right?"

"Bonteri?" He stared at me. I couldn't do anything but nod. And then, I hugged him. Hugged him as tight as I possibly could.

 _A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but it's just a filler! I wanted to keep this one short so it shows how she got back to Onderon and what is in store for her! Thank you all for reading!_


	9. Chapter 9

I've only been here for two whole months and there have been attacks on the rebels already! We've been tracked down, shot at, and killed. In just two days, I was a part of the Rebels and helped them all move their equipment deeper into the forests of Onderon. It was my responsibility to round up the Dalgos and move them in an efficient way to our new base.

Steela, our head sniper, had scouted our new position. It was an old abandoned outpost. Any sound structure of a building was long gone and all that remained were pillars and walls. There was sandstone buried deep within the dirt and it formed a… I'm not sure what it was. But I know when we got there, I had to set up posts for the Dalgos.

Saw and Steela set up our weapons caches and a few others set up tents. When everything was back to the way it was, I tended to some of our wounded and talked things over with Steela and Saw.

"Guys… This has been happening much too often. It's only been a little over 2 months… If we're going to protect our family, then we'll need to do something." I said, biting my lip.

"I agree with her, Saw. Something must be done." Steela looked up at her brother and he sighed deeply.

"Lexie, you have still have ties with the Senate, right? If you call the right people-,"

"Anybody that I know is a faithful slave to Dooku. They won't exactly be all for a full scale attack against the kingdom of Onderon." I had to think… Somehow, I knew that I needed to find someone. There's someone I know… but whom…

"That's it!" It came to me! It was like a hit in the face! But the only way to contact them…

"I need a Dalgo!" I ran to the posts and untied one of the beasts, throwing the reigns over his head and jumping on.

"Lexie!" Steela ran after me. "Where are you going?"

I stopped the animal in his tracks a little and I looked at Steela below me. "I know who I can talk to. But I need to get back to my ship to get my Holo records!" And then I took off. I know my old escape pod was around here somewhere.

The deeper I went into this terrifying forest, the more I realized it was a mistake to go alone. I decided to move on and to keep looking for the stupid escape pod. Do the escape pods even have the holo archives from the original ship? They should be.

I retraced my steps from two months ago and soon found myself in front of the huge metal machine, lying upon the grounds of Onderon forest. I dismounted the Dalgo and approached the pod, using whatever knowledge I had to open up the door. The panel had been long deactivated. The escape pod is only good for one departure. After that, the Hyperdrive is shut down and all the power is diverted to the oxygen levels and artificial stabilizers.

I entered the pod and searched the consoles for the holo records. I rerouted whatever power was left from the oxygen to the holo and when it booted up, I found the call numbers. I quickly diverted the power from the stabilizers to a datapad and waited for it to download. I only had 3 minutes before the pod's internal drive would overload and the whole pod would explode. In that time, I needed to get away from the pod.

It took a whole minute for the numbers to transfer to the datapad and another 10 seconds to mount the Dalgo. I whipped the reigns and the beast broke out into a canter and I scampered away from the ship as far and as fast as possible. I counted down 1 minute and 50 seconds in my head and when I reached zero, the explosion sounded in the distance. The ground shook and it startled my Dalgo. He ran faster and I hung onto the reigns for dear life…

It only took us 10 minutes to get back to the rebels and gulped, jumping from the Dalgo with my datapad in hand. Steela and Saw had set up the holo call and I quickly inserted my datapad into the slot on the side and searched its database.

"Who are you contacting, Lexie?" Steela asked, looking at the call numbers on the holo display.

"I know someone inside of the Republic… Inside of the Jedi Order. If anyone can help us win back our home from Separatists, it's a Jedi." I released the numbers and waited.

"A Jedi?! How can Jedi help us? We're Separatists!"

"We _were_ Separatists!" I snapped at Saw. "The Jedi are redeeming and forgiving. They will help us."

Before there was a proper reaction from them, I saw the Jedi. All of the Jedi. But one stood out in particular.

"We have contacted you, seeking an audience with the Jedi Council." I started. "We need your help."

In just a few minutes, the entire Jedi Council was contacted and this was an official Jedi conference.

"Our home has been overrun with Separatist war droids and criminal violence. Our people have been silenced and our king neglects his voice, which are the people!" I looked at all the Jedi Masters and then turned to one Jedi Padawan.

She was summoned because of her connections with me. Her master as well. Ahsoka watched me, I could feel it.

"We do not want to go to war but the only way to reclaim our home is through armed struggle. Blood in the streets!"

"Onderon is in your king's rule," I looked at Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi. "And at the outbreak of the Clone War, he chose to align it with the Separatists."

"Our true king has been silenced!" Saw stated, staring down the Jedi. "The one you recognize is a traitor and Separatist minion! We need your help to survive this."

I bit my lip and watched the Jedi look at each other. "Find a way, we shall." Jedi Master Yoda stated.

"We will… await your answer." I looked at Ahsoka who was smiling at me and I couldn't help but smile back a little.

And then, the communication cut off.

"Do you really think the Jedi will help us?" Saw stated blandly. I glared at him and rubbed my scar on my face.

"I know someone who can never resist a fight. There's no way she would leave us to fend on our own."

"Oh, you mean the girl you were staring at the whole time? The one who kept checking out your butt?" Steela pinched my arm and I squeaked in shock.

"What? No! She wouldn't do that… would she?" I looked at Saw and Steela who both remained silent. I rolled my eyes and just brushed it off as their teasing and nothing more. I know Ahsoka doesn't share the interest I have in her with me so I shouldn't let that go to my head.

I inhaled a breath of subtle relief when they left me alone and I left the area, approaching my tent. I lied down on the bed inside of it and stared at the tent walls… It must have been hard being here when the war broke out. King Dendup aligned with the Separatists because he believed them to be a stronger party. When the Clone War began, I was very little. I didn't know why my dad was leaving or why my mom never slept at night. But I knew something was coming…

But things seemed to calm down in my mind when I turned my head and saw the little potted plant next to my pack. Three Nova-Lilies in full bloom sat in the soil, reflecting beautiful colors off its petals. It reminded me of the time where the only thing I had to worry about was if one single Jedi Padawan accepted me as a human being. Not a war on my homeworld. Not my mother's death. Not my family on Onderon. Everything has been turned into a living hell. How will I get through this war?

The Nova-Lilies shifted their color with the sunlight and the petals went a golden orange color with white ripples. I knew then how I would get through it all.

"Oh, my lovely Jedi… You'll help me," I stared towards the top of my tent and sighed with content. "I know it."


	10. Chapter 10

"Is it like a Jedi to keep you waiting? Especially with something this important?" Saw said, crossing his arms and kicking his foot up on a nearby boulder. I turned my head slightly from my folded hands and glared.

"They will come. I know it." Was all I said about the matter.

"Just like a Senator's brat to depend on someone's word…" Saw scowled. Did he not think I heard him? How dare he?!

"Care to repeat that, docking rat?" I stood up, glaring up at him as my lip curled up into a snarl. I looked like a wild animal. I have given this look time and time again… I gave it to my friends when they bad mouthed the Jedi.

"You heard me, Lexie. Your plan is flawed,"

"You said you admired me for my connections to the Senate!"

"And now I see just how useless they are! What could I possibly think could benefit us from someone who knows how to argue?"

"Oh, you sorry son of a-"

"Enough!" We both silenced. Steela was having none of this bickering. It would get us nowhere. And I knew that too. But Saw was insulting my pre-position in the Senate and to insult me is to insult my mother and I will never stand for something such as that.

Saw shot me a dirty look before he walked off, leaving me to ponder my place in this Rebellion. I looked at Steela and made a face of uncertainty. "What's his problem? Someone pee in his Corellian flakes?" Now Steela was giving me a dirty look.

"Saw doesn't exactly like being left to die. It would be nice if the Jedi gave us an answer." She said, hoisting her hot pink sniper rifle onto her shoulder before standing up straight, staring me down.

I chuckled. I don't know why. I thought about Ahsoka and how she has a habit of making grand entrances. "If I know my Jedi, they're waiting to make a great entrance." And just as I said that, a transport ship began revving up in the distance. I stood up from my perch on a boulder and saw lights in the dark night sky. Maybe that's them… Or maybe the Separatists found us…

"Intruders." Saw came back with a snarl on his face now. Steela whistled and a Dalgo came bounding towards her. I'll never figure out how she does that.

"I'll go check it out. Hutch, you're going with me." Another Dalgo bounded out of the clearing and Steela took off with Hutch. I guess all we can do now is wait and see if it's friend or foe.

In the time that they were gone, I got to rest up a little. But not before I had my outfit modified with heavy battle armor. I worked on the vest stitching while reinforcing it with armor plating under the fabric. It would fasten around my body suit perfectly. I stitched on leg armor near the thighs, where the main arteries were. I worked with my shoulders too to make sure I didn't lose an arm during this… 'armed struggle'. I had just finished when I realized how much time had passed. I set my new uniform down and decided to sleep for as long as possible… Which was not very long. It felt like five minutes later that someone was shaking me awake.

And by shaking me awake, Saw and his buddies dumped a bucket of water on my face. It chilled me to my freaking core and I leaped up, ready to fight.

"Haha! You should have seen your face!" Saw said, making a mimicking face of complete shock. That was it. They've been pushing me around almost since day one! I'm getting a little tired of them thinking they're better than me, just because they've been here longer!

"I'm gonna kill you!" I shouted, chasing them out of my tent, my hands shaking and my face contorted in the most violent expression I have had in the longest of times! I haven't been this mad since the Death Watch tried to take Ahsoka away from me!

That was the day that something inside of me… went dark. I became poisoned with anger and… fear. That was the hardest week of my life… Worse than when I lost my father. Because in that week, I had lost my mother and I had to say goodbye to the most wonderful person that had ever entered my life.

I won't do it again without it being proper.

I let Saw go after chasing him for a while. I guess this counts as my shower for the day… I quickly dried off my hair with one of my old shirts and began to comb it out with my fingers. I didn't have many resources now that I am basically a fugitive. If I were to walk within the city walls of Iziz, I would be shot on sight.

Once I was dry, and dressed, I was prepping my modified pistols when I heard someone whistle behind me. When I turned around, I saw Steela and Saw heading our way. And behind them… My heart almost stopped in my chest!

Ahsoka! She looked more beautiful than ever! Her skin had become darker, seeing as how she has seen more combat. Must be a tan or something… Her arms seemed to have more muscles than I remember… And her eyes… They haven't changed one bit! They're still full of a child-like spirit that I have come to know and love!

"Watch out, Lexie," Yura poked me with her elbow and she laughed. "You're bi is showing." Oh how I wanted to smack the daylights out of her!

"My 'bi' is not showing! Your stupid is, though." She reacted as if I shot her in the foot. Her harsh recoil and shocked expression was holograph worthy!

"Oh, please! Everyone in the camp knows that you're as crooked as a Rapier's neck; Lesbi-honest, here." Any more homosexual jokes out of her, and I will personally cut her tongue out.

"Okay, Yura… I will say this with as much respect as possible… Shut your bloody noise hole!" I snapped, standing up to the immature 24 year old. Pathetic; I'm almost half her age and I have more maturity in my left arm than she does in her entire being.

"Okay, Jeez… Someone woke up on the wrong side of the palace bed this morning," I can't form into words how much I hate this woman!

Idiocy aside, she is kind of useful… That's it! Just kind of useful—actually, easily replaceable!

I decided to not engage in a fist fight with the moron. It would only upset the rest of the group. Instead, I focused all of my attention on the other three men traveling with Ahsoka. One was her master, Anakin Skywalker. I remember him from the hologram back on that cruiser. He said he would try to get me Amnesty. That was honestly quite nice of him…

The next was a man with a sandy blonde beard and medium length hair. He looked like a Jedi through and through. His eyes seemed incredibly friendly but his stature was like an ice wall… Clearly, he takes the Jedi way very seriously. Probably lecturing Skywalker every chance he gets.

Then there was a muscular man in camo armor plating and had an incredibly sculpted face. He looked like a war hero on closer inspection… I know who this is! It's a clone! A clone trooper! And judging by the closeness to Skywalker, he looks like he's from his unit. He must be a special clone to be hand selected by a Jedi like Skywalker.

I had to stay formal. I'd never forgive myself if I let my poetic, mushy side show in front of higher ranking officers like the Jedi. I kept a stone expression and just waited for them to tell us how to win this stupid war.

"I remember you…" Skywalker looked at me and I blushed, standing up straighter then before.

"As do I, Master Jedi." I bit my lip. Just exactly how much did Ahsoka tell him about Carlac? I was scared… But it seemed for nothing. He didn't spare me a second glance before speaking to the entire group.

"The Separatists have strength in numbers; we're gonna show you how to target—and destroy!" That's a comforting notion.

"Now to be clear," Uh oh… He's about to go all philosophical Jedi on us. "We are not here to fight your war—rather to show you how to conduct it in the most efficient and successful way possible." The mystery Jedi waited for everyone to agree on this. Once we did, Skywalker introduced the clone trooper.

"Captain Rex," His name is Rex… I'll remember that.

"I'll show ya how the 501st destroy clankers," He seemed way too enthusiastic about this. I don't know why but it was kind of refreshing to see this much excitement. "First, I need volunteers to carry supplies from our entry point, a half click west."

"Shouldn't be a problem." Saw said with a cocky attitude and it made me want to punch him.

So I guess that was it. We started moving towards the place that Rex mentioned. I hadn't even moved 6 steps before I heard her voice.

"Lexie!" Ahsoka's voice rang in my ears and I was already blushing as she ran to catch up with me. "It's… really nice to see you again." She smiled.

"It's wonderful to see you too, Ahsoka." I smiled back at her in the sweetest way possible.

"I didn't realize that you had such strong ties to Onderon."

"Onderon is my home! My mother was their representative in the Senate," I smiled at the fond memories back in the Iziz palace. Back when Onderon was under the rule of King Dendup. Those were the times.

"Your voice is strong," Steela said. "Like hers was." She's comparing me to mom… I was happy with that.

"Have you ever considered joining the Republic Senate?" A nice offer, but I'll pass. I don't trust the Republic… I trust the Jedi, but not the Republic.

"Winning this war won't change how I feel, Ahsoka. I don't trust the Republic, and I won't fight for them." Ahsoka seemed to anticipate my response. She didn't try to push me further into considering joining the Republic Senate. She quickly changed the subject, much to my appreciation.

"Well, what matters now is that we need each other's help. Just like we did on Carlac." Now there's a topic I can get behind on. Carlac certainly was a learning experience for me.

"I know that's the truth." I cleared my throat awkwardly. She giggled. Oh my gosh, that giggle is so… Ugh! Why must she be so perfect?

"Carlac? What happened on Carlac?" Oh right, I never did tell Steela about Carlac.

"Ahsoka is the reason I dropped in on you guys. The reason I'm here, and not with Death Watch…" That was putting it bluntly.

"Really?" Steela seemed shocked, or more impressed by the young Padawan.

"What she really means is—" Nah, I'll finish for you, 'Soka.

"She saved me from a huge mistake. If it wasn't for Ahsoka, I would be dead." Those were the words I was looking for. They're pretty self-explanatory… As long as we can keep out me hitting her… I have never regretted something more in my entire life.

I'm so fond of that Togrutan… I could never, ever hurt her again.

I headed forward because it looked like Steela wanted to talk with Ahsoka. That didn't bother me very much, honestly. It was nice to have someone on my side that wanted to protect me.

The more I headed ahead, the more I caught up with the clone. I can't say I wasn't interested in learning about him… I was actually very interested.

"You know, I've never met a Republic Soldier before… You guys must be as brilliant as they say considering how many battles you've won." What was I supposed to say?! I want to know all about a clone and what they can do! Get real! That could not be more insulting… I didn't want to upset him! He is my instructor after all…

"I wouldn't call us brilliant, kid. But we get the job done." Man of few words, Captain Rex is. No matter. I'll find out how to talk to him. I know I will.

"I've always seen war holos of the Republic battles. You and the other troopers are incredibly in sync with each other," Were those good words? He didn't seem to think so.

"Well, what did you expect? We're pretty much all the same, down to the sounds of our voices." Uh oh… did I make him mad?

"I don't really believe that. Everyone is different, even clones. There will always be something that makes you who you are. I'll figure you out, soldier. It'll be my personal mission." I was smiling. But Rex seemed unimpressed because he grabbed my shoulder and got inches away from my face.

"Your mission is to win this war, Bonteri. Spend less time focused on me and more time focused on the battlefield. This war will be a blood bath. Got it?" He snapped right in my face. I could smell his breath and see every crease of his face even under those ridiculous visors.

Okay, anyone uneducated would say that I am scared… Or, anyone educated. Okay, fine. I'm scared, okay? Rex is a scary man! Inches from my face, staring into my soul with those golden eyes! He's like a restless demon under all that armored plating! Crap, crap, crap, get away from this monster, Lexie!

"I get it, no problem. Understood, sir. Couldn't understand more, yeah?" Shut up, you moron! Now he thinks you're a babbling idiot! Ugh!

Rex walked away. Oh, thank god! My vision was getting blurry… Oh good gracious, that man is terrifying… How could the Jedi be scarier than that man?!

Oh, I know why… Because one of the Jedi is practically Ahsoka's father! God, why do you hate me so?


	11. Chapter 11

"The pilot in the front hatch controls the tank, the shells, and the short range blasters. The commander in the top hatch controls the turret and the main cannons. You have to take out both hatches or the tank will remain operational." I hung on her every syllable. Ahsoka was so knowledgeable; it was hard to _not_ listen to her!

She nodded to Captain Rex who jumped on the tank and opened the front hatch, throwing in a sonic grenade. The hatch snapped shut and he used the cannon barrel to get to the top hatch, tossing in another sonic grenade before back flipping off the tank. An electrical pulse rang through the whole tank and it fell on the ground with a loud thump. I jumped at the noise.

"Everyone, divide into teams of two and we'll practice an assault on both hatches." I jumped next to Saw. I'd rather be _his_ partner than Yura. Cocky piece of—Okay, never mind.

I'm gonna boast a bit. Why not have some fun? "I'll take the top hatch," I put my hands on my hips and smiled. Saw knocked my arm out of place, making my body jerk too. Rex chuckled before throwing us both sonic grenades. I caught mine and felt Saw's hand shove into my chest, knocking me backward but not over.

"Hey!" I shouted before running towards the tank and up the side, onto the cannon barrel, like Rex demonstrated. Too bad the cannons weren't locked into place. The cannon clicked downward and I hit my head on the barrel, falling off the tank and on top of Saw. I landed on his chest, my legs tangled around his as my head was practically in his sternum.

"Oh, blast it… Sorry," I quickly scrambled off the man who groaned as he sat up, rubbing his skull.

"Stupid klutz." He muttered. Well, isn't that nice of him. He sure knows how to piss me off, doesn't he?

"Lexie, your head," Steela said, helping me up. My gloved hand went to my head and I looked at my fingers… How lovely, I'm now bleeding. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I stood up and backed away from the scene I caused. "I just… need to… Ugh," I groaned.

"I'll be… over there." Was all I could say as Saw glared me down as if I murdered his cat. I get why he's upset, but he doesn't have to be pissed. It was just a practice run! We'll have plenty more…

"Jerk-ass…" I'm not one for colorful language like that but I needed to say something or it would just be pent up rage. I took out my bandanna from my wrist guard and wiped off the blood on my face before tying it around the cut. Should help it a little…

The lessons continued without me. I just kind of sat there, watching everyone. Rex kept screaming at everyone and it really didn't seem to be helping. I glanced at Ahsoka and she seemed so invested in what she was doing… Master Jedi Kenobi approached her and began whispering something to her which she only responded with a nod.

Wait… Now he's heading toward me… What just happened?!

"The infamous Lexie Bonteri…" Oh great. Is he gonna insult me?

"I know. 'She's a late senator's daughter; failure as a soldier; nothing like her father.' I've heard it all before." If he was gonna insult me, might as well be something new right?

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself… it's only your first day," Wait… he wants to help me?

"You're a Jedi… It's easy for you to say. It's not like you had any problems on your first day. You all are already perfect…" At least, that's what I've heard.

"You'd be surprised, Lexie. To be honest with you, I wasn't the best Padawan… I might have been one of the worst." I'm not saying I don't believe him. I'm saying that it's kind of surprising to hear a Jedi reprimand themselves. Especially for one that is a Jedi Counselor.

Kenobi told me how he was reckless as a kid. It wasn't until he was 19 that he had a handle on how to act as a Jedi. And even then, he was a little clueless. He told me how he met Skywalker and how much of a pain in the neck the kid was. But he put up with it because of his master, Qui-Gon Jinn… This all seemed too true to be… well, true.

"That Qui-Gon sounds like your father. Was he really as heroic as you make him out to be?"

"He was. The bravest Jedi I've ever known. Even braver than Anakin." He looked at his apprentice who stood next to Ahsoka and he said something to her, making her smile and push her elbow slightly into his side, making him laugh.

"What about Ahsoka… She's the bravest person I've ever known…" I told him, smiling as he looked down on me. He smiled back.

"She was the youngest Padawan in the Jedi Order. She's already come so far… But she still has a lot to learn." I don't know what else she has to learn, but I know one thing… She'll be the best Jedi that this Galaxy has ever seen. Better than Skywalker, wiser than Yoda, braver than Qui-Gon… She'll be a vision. I just know it.

After Tank training, we moved on to Destroyers. Those Spider droids with their own shields. I had nightmares about those damn things and to come face to face with three of them was like… A horrid Holo-Game! They stood in a triangle like they were on some stage and about to sing to a birthday kid… And then, when no one expects it, they attack! Blow up the place… I'm delusional.

"Destroyers are quick; Pack twin blasters and come with their own shield generators—Nothing short of cannons will pierce it. But, they do have two weaknesses and you will need to work together to exploit them." Skywalker nodded at Rex and he activated a Destroyer, making me jump as the thing stood up and put up its shield.

"The shields deflect high velocity attacks," Rex shot at the shield and the blaster fire bounced off the shield completely. The droid started stepping forward and I backed away, biting down on my lip.

"What the shields don't stop are slow and stationary objects!" That makes sense. Ahsoka pulled out a Sonic Grenade and very slowly, the grenade rolled across the concrete and under the shield. "They're designed to absorb them, so nothing hinders their movement."

The electrical pulse made the Destroyer curl in and fall back on the ground. "Destroyers are blind from behind! A distraction combined with a rear assault will give you a kill. The trick though, is to get the right speed on the droid popper." I was staring at Ahsoka's eyes the whole time. And she noticed. I blushed and looked away, biting my lip as I did so.

Rex activated all three Destroyers and I looked at them, feeling more and more nervous as I did so. Stupid droids, making me feel scared. Rex tossed a grenade at Saw and he approached the droid, throwing the grenade. It went across the ground but bounced off the shield. I snickered.

"Nice try," Steela punched him in the arm and looked at Ahsoka who tossed her a grenade. She stood up straight and threw the grenade sideways, watching as it slowly passed under the shield. I smiled at her.

"That was suave," She grinned at me and I smiled back, looking at Ahsoka who tossed me my own grenade. I crouched down and tried to throw it as slowly as possible. But as soon as I was about to let it go, I heard a girl shout.

"Just throw it straight, Bi-teri!" I threw it way too hard. It practically ricocheted off the shield! Okay, that was it.

"Alright, Yura… I've tried being polite, I've tried using force, and I've tried ignoring it. I guess the only answer now is—" And that was it. My fist came in direct contact with her cheek, knocking her straight to the ground and landing her back on large tree roots. She looked incredibly dazed and there was a huge bruise forming on her cheekbone.

"Y-You hit me!" Yura shouted. I growled down at her. "Keep your nose on that ugly face and out of my business, you homophobic schutta." I was completely done with her mocking me for my sexuality. That's all it has been the whole time I've been here. No one else has a problem with it! Not even Steela! Why does Yura just… relentlessly tease me about it?

You know what? I don't even care. I left the idiot on the ground where she belongs and stalked back over to the group who were practically jumping out of my way. I folded my arms over my chest and tapped my foot on the ground.

"Do you… Want to try again?" Skywalker said. I looked up at him and nodded once, now completely focused. Rex threw a grenade at me and this time, without any distractions, it passed by the shield, much to my happiness. "Hmm. Nice job." The Jedi said, smiling at me.

"Thank you," I bowed my head at him while Ahsoka smiled at me. I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder and I turned to see Steela. She smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

I guess you can say that things were looking up for me…

"Everyone, pair up! We'll practice in groups," Rex told us. I watched from the side as two of our teammates helped Yura up to her feet. She swayed back and forth and practically fell over every little thing. Clearly, she's never been hit in her life… Not like me.

"Lexie," I turned around and saw Ahsoka standing there, holding a grenade in her hands. "Wanna perfect that technique of yours?" She tossed the sphere in the air and caught it effortlessly and I bit my lip, smiling like an idiot. That slight dip in her step, sticking out her hips like that as she stared at me through half lidded eyes, smiling that killer smile…

"Absolutely." Oh yeah. I'm in love. Like, head over heels, stumble, stutter, and stay up all night kind of love. Ahsoka led me to a separate area where there was a Destroyer waiting, shield up and guns pointed at us. I gulped.

"The Separatists knew how to scare people… Could those things be any more menacing looking?" Ahsoka snickered at my outburst.

"Are you scared of them?" She said. I just nodded. I took the grenade from her hands and threw it at the shield, getting quite frustrated when it bounced off the shield.

"Damn. I had it a few minutes ago." I picked up another grenade and tried again. Still too hard. The next one missed the shield entirely. I threw the next one directly at the shield as hard as possible in a frustrated waste of energy.

There was a moaning noise to the side and I saw Yura sitting on a rock, rubbing her sore cheek. Serves her right. Stupid laserbrain.

"Lexie… what's got you and… what's her face over there at each other's throats?" Ahsoka asked. I bit my lip and looked up at her, shrugging.

"I don't really know what she has against me, other than me being homosexual. It doesn't bother most people, but it irks the hell out of her. To the point where all she can say is jokes, childish name calling, and even threats. She doesn't like me because I like girls. I don't know…" I sighed and stared off into space.

"So… You're um…" Did Ahsoka really not know?

"Don't tell me you didn't see how overly lesbian I was, 'Soka…" I guess she didn't see it… "I mean, I guess I wasn't always that way… I must have liked boys at some point… But I can't even remember when that was. Girls have just always been… More attractive to me. But it isn't all about how someone looks, you know? If you have a crap personality, I don't want to be near you, no matter how hot you are." It was like Ahsoka was seeing a whole other side of me.

I sighed again. "I haven't had good experiences with boys. I did try to 'fix' myself, I guess you could say. Had a boyfriend and everything. Mom was so proud of me. She said that I was finally beginning to act like a young lady… Then, when we went on a midnight cruise, he took advantage of how absolutely defenseless I was. I didn't know how to fight or to overpower someone… And he got what he wanted out of me. And left me there, in the woods of Raxus. It was hours before I got home…" Ahsoka sat down next to me. I guess I had ended up sitting on the ground and messing with one of the grenades left next to my feet.

"That's when I decided that I wouldn't let anyone in lightly. It only leads to pain… But, I seemed to forget all the bad things after I met you… I must say, Ahsoka, you know how to keep someone distracted." Her headtail stripes changed color and I smiled, blushing myself.

"I'm sorry, Lexie… I had no idea." She put her hand on my forearm and I shrugged.

"It's alright. I'm over it now." Was all I said before rolling the grenade across the concrete and watching as it passed through the shield. I grinned.

"You got it!" Ahsoka said, helping me to my feet.

"Yeah… Guess I did." I stared at her as she smiled at me. I clenched my hands into fists and warded off all thoughts I had going through my mind. All thoughts of grabbing the wonderful Jedi by the shoulders and hug her so tight... And her lips... Damn it, Lexie! Stop it! You must know... She doesn't need to be involved with you... She's completely fine being alone. Without your messed up life. She has it fantastic as a Jedi, don't mess that up for her.


	12. Chapter 12

The laser blast went clear across the shooting range and a droid's head went flying away from where it previously sat. I observed Steela's shooting and decided to take notes on what she was doing. She must have a really steady hand to be able to shoot that well.

"Impressive… Most impressive," Skywalker praised.

"You've clearly mastered your ability to focus," She mastered it a while ago, Kenobi. Steela's always been a fantastic shot.

"But, fixed targets are one thing, what about a moving one?" I looked at Ahsoka who winked at me and lifted a droid's head up with the force… Holy crap, Ahsoka _winked at me_! I think I just died a little inside with happiness.

Ahsoka moved the droid's head back and forth with the force and Steela aimed, shooting the target down. Damn, she was good.

"Nice one!" I patted Steela's back and smiled at her. Ahsoka smiled in return and I winked back at her. She grinned and looked away, down at the ground. Okay, what is happening? Could it be possible that… No, impossible. Stop it, Lexie. Don't get your hopes up.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely heard Skywalker and Ahsoka talking.

"Snips," Ahsoka looked up at the man who practically towered over her. "Are you… losing focus?"

"No!—Master…" Ahsoka's stripes changed color and she bit her lip.

"Good," He smiled down at her. Rex called on all of our attention.

"A head shot is the only decisive way to disable a droid. They don't need arms, legs, or even bodies to pass intel to central command… Alright, shoot at will!"

Steela raised the sniper rifle to her shoulder once again and she gazed down the scope, but didn't fire. "Wait… What is that?" She said, staring down the scope. Something was marching out of the brush… I heard clanking.

"Droids!" Saw screamed. It was true! The droids found us!

"Take cover!" Rex shouted as a rocket headed our direction. I barrel rolled out of the way and crawled behind a barrier. I pulled my blaster out of its holster and opened fire. Fighting. I'm actually fighting for my own cause! I'm so proud of me!

"OK, how are we doing this, Bonteri?" I heard Saw say to me. Why is he asking me?

"How the hell should I know?" I had no idea what to do but hold my ground and fire at the enemy without dying. I poked my head out from behind the barrier and fired out, only to get hit by a blaster shot in my armored shoulder, sending me to the ground but I was completely protected, thank you armored plating.

I felt a hand on my arm, pulling me to put my back against the barrier and hide. It was Ahsoka, her lightsabers out and protecting us both from the rapid blaster shots. Her reflexes were absolutely breathtaking to look at!

Focus, Lexie! You're in a battle! Stop staring at her biceps!

I was mentally smacking myself when I stood back up and charged up my pistol, more droids dropped down and I ducked back behind the barricade. My aim was getting better, good for me.

I jumped at the sound of Steela's voice over Saw's comm, which was right next to my ear. " _Saw, use your disruptors to take out the droids!_ " Steela said. Great idea! Explosives!

"Ready disruptors, on my mark!" Saw said to the other men behind the fence near the animals we had. After a few seconds, Saw and the men tossed the disruptors towards the droids and they clattered across the ground. I got down on my knee and noticed Ahsoka was still up.

"You might want to get down," I suggested in a loud tone so she could hear me over the blaster fire.

"Why?" She yelled back, still reflecting blaster bolts. I growled at her stubbornness and reached forward, grabbing the front of her shirt and pulling her down to the ground, making her lightsabers seal themselves. I could hear the droids bickering back and forth and then the explosion went off, shaking the ground and spraying small debris over our barricade.

I thought we were in the clear, actually… But then I heard a humming noise. "Wait… what's that sound?" I stood up and nearly fell back down. A tank! The same exact tank that we practiced on earlier! This can't end well…

The cannon opened fire and the ground around us shattered, dirt and concrete parts clouding our vision. The cannon went off several times and I was convinced we were pinned down; I had run out of ideas. And courage, honestly.

I stood back up and began firing again and I heard a loud roaring noise. When I turned around, I saw all of our animals, running head first into the droid battalion, taking many down.

The cannon went off again and I started coughing up dust particles. "We're pinned down! We need to take out that tank!" I shouted at Saw who pulled a grenade out of his back pouch.

"Wanna try again, Lexie?" He suggested. I grinned and removed a similar grenade before we both leaped over the barricade. Ahsoka began to shout at us.

"Hey, what are you two doing?!" She said, getting pushed back slightly by the repercussion of the blaster bolt fire.

"What you taught us!" I screamed back before running as fast as possible towards the tank. I leaped up the side, almost falling over in the process, but scaled the side, throwing the grenade at the droid who was manning the cannon and staring right at me. The droid caught the grenade… it freaking caught it!

"Surrender rebel!" it shouted, looking down at the grenade and then back at me. "You will answer for your crimes against the _Separatist alliance!_ " The rest of what it said was obscured by the tank walls, due to Ahsoka shoving the droid within the tank with the force.

I heard a loud beeping and my face went white. "Uh oh… Time to jump!" I screamed before jumping from the tank, rolling almost expertly, and running away from the blast as the tank exploded. The heat wave knocked me off my feet, along with the blast, and I went face first into the concrete and dirt. Luckily, I was fine. Nothing wrong at all. Just a bit winded.

I was perfectly content on getting up on my own but I felt someone's hand on my wrist and I looked up at Steela who was brushing off my shoulders. "We should clean you up…" She smirked, dusting off my hair and I swatted her hand away.

"I like it," Saw said, smiling and crossing his arms. "You look more like a soldier than a politician." Oh, is that so, Saw?

"Well, maybe a good politician needs to get dirty now and then." Steela said, smiling at me. I smiled back, my hand going to my forehead and wiping off some mud. Ahsoka snickered at my attempt to clean off my face and walked off towards Skywalker and Kenobi. And Rex, don't forget Rex.

Everyone gathered in a circle and I breathed a sigh of relief that the casualty number was none.

"Take confidence in this victory. But rest assured, there will be more droids coming now that they know your position." Kenobi said, holding his hands behind his back. I honestly don't think that when you say 'rest assured', you say something negative like that… I really don't think that's how it works.

"It doesn't matter," Thank you, Skywalker. Kenobi sent my brain into over analyzing his pep talk. "You're ready now. We are going to take the fight right to the droids! You don't have to hide in the jungle any longer!" Now that's a pep talk.

"The droids were a bit dim… More so than I imagined." Saw remarked, staring down at the ground.

"They make up for it in numbers," Ahsoka told him. "They're designed to overwhelm."

"But what they aren't designed for is to deal with our approach," Skywalker told us. I was catching on!

"We hit them where they wouldn't suspect it! And before they realize what happened—," Steela cut me off, catching on to what I was saying.

"We fade in with the rest of the population!" Me and Steela smiled and bumped our elbows together, giddy with the plan we had.

I shared a look with Ahsoka who seemed to be pondering over something. "We need a plan to get inside the city,"

"This might sound dumb, but I have an idea…" I bit my lip and told everyone what was on my brain. I was honestly expecting for everyone to disagree, but no one protested! Holy sith, how?

Before I even knew what was happening, we were heading towards the city with Ahsoka, Skywalker, and Kenobi in cloaks. Steela was sitting behind me and she was practically vibrating in place, so nervous that this wouldn't work out.

When we approached the city gates, the droid at the checkpoint stopped us. "Halt! What were you doing outside of the city gates?"

"Hunting," I said too quickly. "We've been tracking our kills for days." I bit my lip and tried not to cross my legs in nervousness.

"Did you register before your excursion?" The droid said, staring at me with its robotic eyes. Oh lord, there's no way this will work… No! Focus, Lexie! You got this!

"No, but most of our time is spent in the brush and bushes. We collect our traps… So if I were you, I'd be careful not to set one off back there," There was a loud snapping noise and a droid fell over with a moderate sized boma trap around its wrist, screaming in fear as it fell over. I snorted and then covered my mouth, trying not to look too amused. "I said, careful."

Ahsoka elbowed me in the arm and I could see that she was trying not to laugh.

"Hey, listen! We need to deliver this all in time for supper," Steela shouted. Oh my gosh, she said supper! Incredible.

"Are you scanning anything?" The droid said to another one. He buzzed and responded, "It's hard to tell. There's so much organic matter," Success!

"Come on! Our merchants are waiting inside! Can you hurry it up?" One of our soldiers said, getting clearly frustrated.

"Let them through," The droid said. The gate went down and I grinned ear to ear, whipping the animal into a walk.

Ahsoka shared my happiness. "Good plan."

"Thank everything that those droids are stupid," I muttered, pulling the Dalgo's reigns and bringing it to a stop.

"Not a bad start," Anakin said, pulling his own cart to a halt. "But now, the real work begins."

"We should choose our targets wisely." Kenobi said, looking at me and Steela.

"They'll be looking for us at every checkpoint in the city." Steela said, breathing slowly. I jumped up from where I sat and turned around to face Saw who crawled out from underneath the blankets.

"We should split up." I stated.

Saw jumped off the wagon and straightened his back. "We'll regroup after nightfall. I'll alert our brothers. Come on, Bonteri." Saw demanded. Okay, I'm a recruiter now? If you say so, Saw.

I jumped from the wagon and straightened my legs, looking at Skywalker. "We'll make sure you have the supplies you need," He told me. I nodded once.

"Rex and I will take care of that, Lexie." Ahsoka said, smiling under her cloak hood. I think it was the same cloak from Raxus… Back when I watched her leave for the very first time…

"Thank you, Ahsoka… Good luck," I smiled at her. She smiled back.

"You too." Ahsoka responded, grinning at me. Yeah, my cheeks are bright red now. Why is she so frekking cute?! Augh, this Jedi is going to be the everloving death of me!

I looked back up at Steela who was smirking at me and winked. For the love of—Steela, stop. Don't do that!

I blushed deeper red and decided that it was time to leave. Damn it, this time with Ahsoka… I will cherish every single moment we have with each other.


	13. Chapter 13

To say that we were subtle was kind of an understatement. Every two hours, we attacked separate parts of Iziz and made sure that the false king, Sanjay Rash, could see our every move. I wish I could see the look on his disgusting face when he learns that his royal carriage was destroyed. Disappointed that he wasn't inside, but still satisfied that the carriage was dismantled.

After all of our attacks took place, I realized something… The pedestrians—the citizens were terrified of us. Whenever a droid fell over, they jumped in shock. Whenever blaster fire sounded, they ran for cover. They are not on our side… They are on the side that keeps them safe, but right now… I don't believe that we're keeping them safe.

The droids are going to crack down harder and accuse anyone looking suspicious. That is very dangerous for the people of Iziz.

After all the ambushes, we returned to our hideout where people were drinking and celebrating. I sat down on the couch and ran my hands through my very choppy hair.

"Your success will not go unnoticed," Skywalker said. Everyone hooted and hollered, clearly happy that we're getting away with this.

I smiled and looked at Saw and Steela, who I was sharing a couch with.

"I agree. But we need to be mindful of public perception; what was your observation, Padawan?" Kenobi said to Ahsoka who looked at him and responded calmly.

"The people were fearful, master," Kenobi nodded at her response.

I saw it too. They were scared of us. "Indeed. Judging on the reactions I saw today, they will mistake your intentions."

"Do they think we're trying to put them in danger, Master Jedi?" I had to ask. I really needed to know if my thoughts were going somewhere.

"I don't think that's the case, Lexie." Skywalker responded, looking at me as I bit my lip and looked down at my hands.

"We need to do more damage!" Saw punched his open palm and growled. "A few dozen broken down droids will do little to free Onderon!" In a way, he was right.

"The people need to believe that we can succeed; without their support, our efforts are meaningless!" Steela said, waving her hand mystically.

"But if they're scared of us, they're not going to support us. We need to ensure that our intentions are true," I slammed my fist down on my leg and tapped my foot against the ground.

"I don't understand… Why are they afraid?" Saw said, looking at Steela for an answer, which she supplied.

"They're afraid that we're not strong enough to win. We need to earn their trust," How can we do that? I was running over three thousand thoughts at once, trying to think of a plan.

"You'll have plenty of time to earn their trust," Skywalker pulled me out of my thought train and I leaned down on my hands with my elbows on my knees. "All of you are going to be very busy…"

"Today was only a taste. You'll get your chance," Rex said, smiling at us all.

"In the meantime," Kenobi started. "Make the most of your victories. Welcome and learn from them."

I got it! My brain finally decided to work for me and I leaped up. "What if we hit something big?" I folded my hands onto my hips. "Give the people a show of strength… They will overcome their fear and join us, I guarantee it!"

Ahsoka was staring at me the whole time I was speaking. "What did you have in mind?" She said. I grinned.

"The perfect target… Let's say, it's a surprise." I winked at her and her stripes changed color.

And with that, the conversation ceased. The Jedi and Rex left the building, bidding their farewells, all but Ahsoka who was staying with us. Yes! I get to spend more time with her!

While everyone was celebrating, I adjourned to the holo-generator and overlooked the developments on the damage we caused today… Clearly, the false king was keeping to himself and saying nothing to the public. He doesn't want them turning too fast, now would he?

While I was examining the vicarious writings in Basic, and a few words in Huttese for some reason, the door swished open and I turned to look at Ahsoka who was smiling at me.

"What are you up to?" She said in a soft tone.

"I'm checking the news. See what the development is," I sat down on the bench and scanned the basic one more time before turning off the generator. "Rash is keeping quiet."

"Wise for him; something tells me that it would look bad if he went public with shaky info." Ahsoka sat down next to me and I snickered.

I knew she wasn't in here just to discuss my involvement with the holo-generator.

"Lexie, are you sure you're up for this kind of thing? A full scale war? It's dangerous," Ahsoka put her hand on my shoulder and I just chuckled.

"I'm sure, Ahsoka. I will fight for my home to ensure its independence. It's what my mother would have wanted for Onderon. For our home." Ahsoka knew what I was saying was true.

She sighed, nonetheless. "Combat isn't going to be easy… You're going to lose a lot of people you care about," She said. I grinned and turned to look at her, grabbing her hand.

"But, my Jedi, the only person I truly care about in this fight is you… Anything to ensure your safety," I was not expecting to render the girl speechless… Damn, I'm good with my poetic flirting! Ahsoka was flustered, stuttering, and looking everywhere but at me.

I couldn't help but start laughing at her expression. I held my sides as she jumped up, flustered as ever. Ahsoka started pacing back and forth, an angry look on her face as I continued cackling with wicked, reckless abandon.

"Oh Ahsoka, you should have seen it! You look so cute when you're flustered," I hiccupped with laughter and she growled with anger.

"I am not cute! I'm a fearless, fierce Jedi! I'm a warrior!" Ahsoka said, her bottom lip sticking out as she crossed her arms. Yeah, as fierce as a hamster!

"Okay, Soka. You are a fierce Jedi warrior." I touched her shoulder and smiled down at her. She smiled up at me, her stripes changing color again. Oh my gosh, it was so cute! Very slowly, I ran my gloved fingertips down her arm and towards her hand. She didn't shy away… Nor did she look offended.

If anything, she looked very accepting and calm about this… I think now it was obvious I had a huge crush on her. It was obvious for everyone to see.

My other hand slowly went to her cheek and I ran my thumb across the marking in the shape of a beautiful wing on her cheek. I bit my lip and slowly got closer to her… Oh my god, what was I doing? I am literally inches away from her right now! I can feel her breath on my lips and my nose… Holy frek, holy frek, _holy frek, what is wrong with me?!_

And in a breathless attempt to snap me from my trance of swimming in her wide, bright blue eyes, she whispered my name. A husky, sweet, breathy murmur that I almost missed… except, if it wasn't the most sexy noise I heard in my whole entire life.

"Lexie…" I could feel my heart against my ribcage and my face was 10 different shades of red and pale all at the same time. But Ahsoka was not pulling away either… But my mind was telling me to get away from her. This couldn't be what she wanted… Lexie, _get away from her!_

It took all of my strength to remove my hand from her face and step away from her. I was chewing on my lip harshly and it was beginning to sting a little… Okay, a lot.

I said the only thing that came to my mind in such a foggy, terrified state of mind… "I'm sorry…" Ahsoka looked shocked. And terrified. Her blue eyes were turning a painful shade of sparkling blue. It looked like she might cry…

"I scared you… I'm sorry, Ahsoka…" Very slowly, I approached her as if she were a skittish animal that would run away at any second. But she wasn't moving… She was standing still, her eyes blinking back tears. I slowly reached for her hand and she blinked in surprise and I slowly bowed down to her, bringing her hand to my lips.

I kissed her knuckles slowly and closed my eyes, blowing on her fingers and rubbing the back of her hand.

Ahsoka muttered, "You didn't scare me, Lexie…" I didn't believe her. I know she just didn't want me to feel bad for doing something almost unthinkable. I slowly approached the door and I closed my eyes, breathing in and trying to calm myself down.

"Excuse me, Ahsoka." And with that, I left the room.

This was all becoming way too much for me to handle.


	14. Chapter 14

The Iziz Power Generator… It charges all electrical conduits in the city. I knew that if we destroyed the generators, everything electrical in the city would slowly start to die off.

I laid flat on the roof with Saw, Steela, and Ahsoka. Steela was looking at the generator through the scope in her sniper rifle. I knew that they were confused, I could feel it.

"This power generator feeds substations and conduits across the city. We take this out, and then entire grid falls." I said, staring at the generator.

"How does that help us?" Steela said, looking at me like I was an idiot. "Battle droids aren't linked to central command anymore. They operate individually."

"That's true, but they still need power to recharge. If we take out this facility, it will knock out the power grid. And then the droid army will gradually be brought to a standstill… Literally," I smirked at Steela and she smiled back shoving her elbow into my side. I grinned.

"If you carry out the plan by nightfall, you'll maximize your strike capability." Ahsoka told us. I looked at Ahsoka for more than a few seconds and then tore my eyes away from her, in an ashamed attempt to not look incredibly depressed at the moment.

"Okay, so we just need to figure out how to destroy the power station," Steela said, directing her hand in the way of the station. "We should do more surveillance."

"Those droids should have all the Intel we need stored in those tin cans of theirs, right?" Saw said, speaking for the first time.

"They should," Ahsoka responded.

"Then I'll get us one," He said, sliding down the roof. I watched him fall down slowly and went back to staring at the power facility, resting my head on my hands. A few seconds passed and I felt the air next to me shift. Ahsoka was lying down next to me and her breath was practically on my shoulder. I blushed and readjusted my stance, trying to keep my distance from her.

Steela cleared her throat and looked at me and I bit my lip, looking down at my fingernails.

Saw returned a minute later with the head of a battle droid and I got the holo-generator ready, putting it down on the ground. He removed the wire from the side of the box and plugged the head into the generator. A hologram of the station appeared and it showed how many sentries and tanks were inside the perimeter.

"Sentries at every access point; inside and out." He told us… I was looking at the flashing red points on the map and saw just how outnumbered we would be.

"There's no way we could sustain combat against their numbers." I told Steela and Saw and I began to chew on my lip in disdain.

"But our size makes up perfect for mobility and surprise!" Steela said. She's right! With our small size, we could easily ambush them by surprise and outsmart the droids.

"We're gonna need some heavy firepower to blow this facility up…" I snapped my fingers and pointed at Steela. "I got it. We need maximum chaos. Cause enough trouble, they might just call for reinforcements," Saw had the need to cut me off.

"They 'might'? Will they call for help or not? We can't base our whole attack on a hunch," He said, crossing his arms. I growled in my throat.

"You got a better idea?" He stayed silent. "I didn't think so."

"So by reinforcements," Steela interrupted us. "What do you mean? Like, a tank?"

"Exactly." I was smiling ear to ear. Steela was supporting my plan, why can't Saw? He seems to question everything that I do, actually. I continued to tell Steela my plan. "You can provide cover for us while we hijack it!"

"And then we'll use their own weapon against them! Bringing the droid army to a fall!" Steela said, smiling with her teeth. I held out my hand for her and she slapped hers against mine.

"Yeah, teamwork!"

"Hey, I'm feelin' left out." Saw said, smirking. I pointed my finger at him accusingly.

"You didn't like my plan, so," I stuck my tongue out at him and heard Steela and Ahsoka giggle at my childish antics. Saw was unimpressed but smiled, nonetheless. It's about time I got a reaction out of him that wasn't cynical or bossy.

The plan was set in motion when the sun went down. Me, Steela, Saw, and Ahsoka hid in an alley and told pedestrians to try and keep quiet. Saw shushed many of them and they ran, recognizing us immediately. Those reactions weren't giving me much hope. After a while, a speeder came zooming by with Uma in the driver's seat. She stopped in the middle of the street and armed the bomb we prepared within the speeder and leaped from the vehicle, running to a different alley.

She held the detonator in her hand and we all heard the clanking of battle droid feet. I looked at the patrol and smiled.

"Perfect… Remember, we attack this patrol and hopefully, they send a tank." I reminded them. The droids slowly surrounded the speeder and some even pushed it out of the way, walking around it. Saw gave Uma the signal and an electrical pulse ran at short range, making many droids collapse. Steela stepped outside of the alleyway and opened fire.

Uma did a quick barrel roll and armed her gun, blasting at the droids.

Me and Saw ran out into the middle of the street, blasting at the droids and trying our best to avoid getting hit. Saw slid in between a barrage of droids, letting go of a sonic detonator and it deactivated a handful of droids. I knocked one down in the process of stumbling over my own stupid feet. This was thrilling! I'm in a battle! And I'm not dead yet!

All but one droid was gone so that can make the reinforcement call. "Patrol 118 to central," It said. "We've been ambushed by terrorists and need reinforcements." And with that, Steela shot it in the head.

"Let's hope they send a tank!" Ahsoka said, running into the street with Steela next to her. But we heard no humming of a battle tank. Instead, we heard a low rumbling sound that was quickly gaining speed.

"Hear that?" Ahsoka said. "They sent destroyers! Move!" She commanded. She's kinda hot when she's bossy… Stop it, Lexie!

Anyway, me and Saw took cover behind a wall while Steela and Ahsoka stayed in the street. Ahsoka removed her lightsabers and deflected blaster fire while Steela remained a single sharpshooter. With no cover. That's dangerous, Steela!

"We're not gonna last long unless we take out those destroyers!" Saw shouted over the blaster fire.

"We have to get behind them!" I motioned to another way around the huge building and we both bolted for the other side. We stood directly behind the destroyers and I removed a sonic detonator from my back pouch, Saw doing the same.

"Remember, roll it slowly so it gets through the sh—"

"I know!" I snapped. Saw threw his detonator and it slowly passed through the shield. I tossed mine but it completely bounced off the shield and got the destroyer's attention. Son of a—Oh no…

Saw noticed how the destroyer was only attacking me and did something I was not expecting… He tackled me to the ground, covering me with his body as a human shield and started shooting at it. I didn't say anything. I didn't even say anything after he stood up and just kind of left me on the ground. I stood up myself and brushed off my legs, ruffling my hair free of dirt.

"Never seen a destroyer taken out like that before," Ahsoka said, handing Steela her sniper rifle. Wait, what did I miss? Did Steela do something cool? Ah, man!

"We all have to adapt," Steela said, holding the sniper rifle over on her shoulder and smiling. Everyone got quiet as a humming sounded in the distance.

When we looked, we saw what it was… The tank! Finally!

"There's our tank," Saw said, smirking. The droids surrounding it opened fire on it and we split up, hiding from the barrage of blaster rounds.

Me and Saw went to one side while Steela, Ahsoka, and Uma went to another. Steela did most of the work, taking out the droids with her high impact sniper rifle. Even when I thought we could take one down, Steela did it for us. That gun of hers is too powerful…

We both ran towards the tank with sonic detonators and jumped up on the tank, me taking the top hatch just like before. Saw leaped from the tank and I leaped next to him, stumbling a little as the tank shut down with an electrical charge.

There were still two droids left and they started shooting at Saw and me. Saw dove for cover behind a disabled battle droid and I rolled away from the fire, trying not to get hit. I didn't shoot, knowing that if I did, they might hit me. Not taking that chance.

My only option was to run and hide. Steela helped me, taking out the droids by herself. I stepped out of hiding and ran towards the tank and saw that Saw was running next to me. Steela and Ahsoka stood nearby.

"Good work," Saw said. "Now let's get this thing up and running again!" He headed for the tank and I climbed up the side, throwing out the corpse of the empty battle droid. He jumped inside the seat and tried to start it up. But nothing seemed to happen.

"What are you waiting for? Punch it!" I whispered in an angry tone. I felt like he had no clue what was happening.

"Gimme a second," Saw said, still trying to start the engine but it was just the sound of a dead motor now.

"Do you know what you're doing?" I said, crossing my arms. I turned and looked at Steela who ran up the side of the tank like a parkour master.

"You two having another problem?"

"No!" Said Saw, staring angrily at Steela. I giggled and slid down the side of the tank as Steela told him to get out. He removed himself from the tank and after a few seconds, Steela started the tank almost immediately.

Saw got back in the tank and Steela stood on the side of the tank, her sniper rifle posed to her shoulder as she crouched down, securing herself on the side. Ahsoka stood next to me and I was trying not to flinch every time I heard her readjust her footing. Truth be told, I was terrified.

I could feel the electrical pulses as we got closer to the power generator.

"Lexie," I heard Ahsoka whisper. Every muscle in my body tensed.

"Yes, Ahsoka?" I said, trying not to sound scared.

"About earlier, I um… I wanted to—" I had to stop her there.

"Ahsoka, we'll talk about it later. Right now, we have a facility to destroy. And it's hard enough to focus with you around me." Why did I say that? She looked hurt… bad. I didn't mean it like that! It wasn't supposed to be insulting! But, blast it, she looked so hurt…

I was chewing on my lip when the tank pulled in front of the power generator. Steela stood up.

"I'll draw their fire." She said.

"Good luck," I said, shaking slightly with my pistol in my hands. Ahsoka suddenly moved.

"I'll cover you," She said. I was on the verge of tears when I heard the heartache in her voice. After she moved, I readjusted myself to get better footing and the tank drew closer and closer. It was quite numbing as the electrical waves washed over me.

"We're almost in position," Saw said. "Ready when you are, Steela."

Suddenly, there was a shot in the distance and that meant the plan was in motion. Saw set out to drive in front of the droids that were firing at Steela but couldn't exactly hit her. The droids saw us coming and thought we were reinforcements.

I opened fire at the droids as Saw ran them down with the tank and he focused the main cannon at the front door, firing. The door came down and he fired again to overpower the shield. From inside, I could see special units heading in our direction.

"Oh, we're in trouble!" I jumped up on the wing of the tank and opened fire, but every time I hit something, it bounced off like it was ray shielded armor!

The special units ran towards the tank and I started shaking. These are the same units that almost killed me in the communications tower on Mandalore.

"Fire the gun!" Steela shouted.

"The gun is recharging!" Saw shouted back. The special units ran towards us and I raised my gun but it kicked me in the hand, making me drop my gun. It's metal fingers came in contact with my face and I fell to the metal bottom of the tank. My entire body was shaking when I heard it kick Steela's gun away. I raised my rifle once again and fired. The droid fell over.

"You're all clear!" Steela shouted. Saw fired the cannon twice and I felt fingers curl into the front of my shirt. Steela dragged me off the tank and threw me behind the tank. I hid from the electrical pulses and covered my ears. I still heard the pulses and could feel them in my heart but it was less frequent. I looked around and saw that the power everywhere was going out. Steela grabbed my arm and pulled me off. I picked up the rifle and bolted back for our hideout.


	15. Chapter 15

I knew that there was damage being done by the people, but for some reason… I feel like we've barely begun to take back our home. Rash is cunning, like a snake. I know that he won't give up because the power is out.

But we made a huge difference tonight. There were open riots in the streets and tanks were set on fire. The people were revolting against the false king and that gave us all hope that there's a chance that we can win. No, scratch that. We _will_ win! This war will be ours!

I was sitting down on the sofa in the conference room when a Holocall came in. I was the only one in the base right now so I figured I should answer it… Obviously.

When I answered, three holograms appeared. Skywalker, Kenobi, and Rex. I guess they want to know how we're doing and what we've done.

"Bonteri, how have things been going? Any new developments?" Kenobi asked. I smiled.

"Yes, sir. I'm sure Ahsoka told you about the plan to attack the power generator in the city square," I waited for them all to nod and then continued. "It was a success. Power is out all over Iziz. The droids are gonna start dying off!"

"I… Have to say, I'm impressed," Rex said, staring at me. I smiled and bowed down to them. I should probably let them know that they called. I alerted Steela and Saw on their comlinks and waited for everyone to return. When they did, there was drinks passed around and everyone was celebrating this victory.

I was standing near Saw and Steela and Ahsoka was standing near Skywalker. I was trying my best to not look at her but it was almost impossible. What was it that the glow of the hologram made her a little more beautiful?

"We must celebrate!" Steela announced to everyone.

"With pleasure!" Saw grabbed her by the waist and spun her around in the air. I thought it was kind of cute from a personal standpoint.

Steela looked at me and pulled me into a hug. "You did great out there, Lexie! Your dad would be proud of you," She said. The thought of my father brought tears to my eyes. I was stepping into his shoes once again… It made my heart soar with pride and I wiped a tear away.

When I looked at Ahsoka she was looking back and she had a smile on her face. I smiled back and waved a little. She waved back. But her master started speaking to her and stole her attention and I got kind of sad.

"This latest development will surely get Count Dooku's attention. He will respond… harshly," Kenobi told us all. I knew there was no way we even made a dent in this war effort.

"They will stop at nothing to find you. You must _adapt_ and continue to confront them to liberate Onderon."

"We will," Started Saw.

"And we shall win." Steela finished. I grinned and put my hand on Saw's shoulder. He grinned at me from ear to ear and it made me incredibly happy.

"In that, I have no doubt." That was a weird way of wording it… Must be a Jedi thing.

"Now you must rally the people," Skywalker interjected. "You will need their support. Your ability to influence them will also determine your capacity to represent them. Not only on the battlefield, but off of it. Against your enemies, even within your own ranks. Your commitment will inspire others. Your conviction will lead to victory."

These are a lot of long winded sentences. But, pretty sure that he said we need to get the people's trust and support if we want to win. We have to inspire them to rally against the separatists. They will only pick the side that they think can protect them the most. If we can't protect them, this war is lost.

"After tonight's efforts, the people will be ready to follow. They will need a leader to rally behind."

The hologram shut off and I drank the entirety of my juma juice. My mother never let me have alcohol, but I guess Steela was much more lenient.

Saw got everyone's attention by whistling. "Guys, we need to build on our momentum! And continue our attacks to keep them off balance!"

I put my hand on his arm and got his attention. "But not too many attacks. They'll catch on and be more prepared." Now everyone was looking at me; oh lord. "But first, we need to rally the people! If we keep disrupting their lives, we could risk alienating them! We need to gain their trust."

Steela was grinning at me while I was speaking. I guess that was positive… "I agree with both of you. We can balance both, and we need to recruit others to join us!" Steela turned to face the crowd of rebels and I was smiling like a giddy child.

"Onderon is ours! We will remind everyone, and keep reminding them, until we get it back!" She thrust her fist into the air and I followed with, pushing my own fist into the air. Everyone cheered and raised their glasses in the air.

The only one not cheering was… Yura… She was still silent since that one day… But I could see something in her eyes… She was contemplating speaking… She stood up on the box she was sitting on and raised her glass in the air, speaking.

"All in favor of Steela as our leader," I stared at the girl. For once… Yura was trying to benefit our cause and not just complain the whole time… Maybe that punch in the face made her wiser… "Raise your hands!"

Nearly everybody was raising their hand… Everyone except for Saw… Oh no, he wanted to be leader… He was trying so, so hard, I could see it… this development really hurt him. Ever since I showed up, Saw has always tried to be better than everyone else. He did it gently, but it was still painfully obvious how he wanted to be looked up to and respected. He wanted his voice to be heard…

"Okay," Saw said, sadness dripping from his voice. "Looks like it's been decided…" He put his hand on her shoulder. "You're the leader." And with that, shoved her out of the way, finishing his shot before storming off.

"Saw!" Steela said, trying to chase after him. I grabbed her arm, trying to stop her.

"I think he just needs to cool off, Steela… He'll be back," Steela didn't share my point of view.

"I can't," She pushed my hand away and close to the exit, Ahsoka stopped her, asking her why she couldn't.

"…He's my brother." I mean, besides that? I just watched her walk off and I chewed on my bottom lip, now staring at the back of Ahsoka's head… I couldn't leave the room without talking to her. I know I had to say something to her, it was eating at me!

But just as I was about to approach her, someone grabbed my arm. I turned to see Yura's bruised face. I tried to be polite. "Yes, Yura?"

She stared at me and looked as if she was choosing her words extremely carefully. "Lexie… I'm sorry. I haven't exactly been fair to you since you got here. I was only seeing what I wanted to see…"

"And what, exactly, did you want to see?" I pulled my arm free and crossed them over my chest.

"My family always were against the homosexuals movement. They said that they weren't to be trusted and that they were terrible and selfish people… I didn't think you were any better… that you would hit on every girl in our group until you got your way…" Just knowing that she thought such awful things about me made me growl in anger.

"You thought… I can't believe… I mean, I don't even…" I put my hand to my eyes and rubbed at them. "I'm not like that, no one is like that. I speak for the entire gay community when I say that we are not sex crazed lunatics that hit on everybody. We're just like everyone else, but _our_ gender is the one we favor. It's… It's a hard thing to explain, Yura… But rest assured knowing that… I'm already hardcore crushing on someone else… And it is _not_ you, I promise." I turned to look at Ahsoka who seemed to be watching my every move.

Yura loudly snorted. "The Jedi?! Oh Lexie, you're delusional…" The girl patted my shoulder and walked off and I just stood there, sighing. Yeah, I'm in too deep. I figured that the party was over so I decided to leave the room and head to my own bedroom. I stalked off towards the room and was messing with my hands and opened the door, sitting down on the small cot. I looked down at the pot that was sitting on the ground and picked up the small glass of water, pouring it over the flowers. They turned a shade of pink and red and I just watched them slowly bleed to different colors. I didn't notice at first when the door opened and I looked up at the beautiful Jedi. She was standing there and staring at me. I smiled and sat up, searching her face for any sign of fear or distrust… But I couldn't see any.

"Ahsoka, come in, please…" I jumped up and she stepped inside, passed the door. I chewed on my lip and stood to the side of the room. She stepped closer to me and examined my eyes, playing tricks on my mind with her own eyes that I get lost in every single time.

"I, um… I wanted to make sure you were alright," She said, reaching for my face. My cheeks suddenly felt extremely hot as she gripped my face in her hands and turned my head from the left to the right and titled it up. Her touch was feather light and her gentleness was as if I was a wounded baby bird.

"Um… I'm fine, Soka." I said, laughing nervously as she continued to look me over. Her hands traveled down my cheeks and my neck and then to my shoulders, moving my jacket slightly. My whole entire body went completely rigid. Now she's just torturing me…

After a few seconds of _unbearable_ silence, Ahsoka removed her hands from me and stared at me.

"Are you okay, Lexie?"

"No, I'm not okay! I'm in love with you and I want you to abandon everything and we'll run away together and start a new life—" Brain, get real. You can't say that to her.

So instead of being painfully obvious about my feelings, replace it with cautious optimism. "I'm fine."

Damn it, she wasn't going to be fooled that easily. Jedi, she knew something was wrong. "Lexie, I know you're lying… want to know how?"

I looked at her and she grinned. "Because you are a terrible liar!" I have no pazaak face. I'm pretty useless at keeping my expressions neutral… I should work on that. "Tell me what is wrong," She pressed forward like a child poking a large animal with a stick.

"Nothing that is to worry about, really… I guess I'm just…" How do I put this to where I'm not totally lying… "Distracted. My mind is in so many places at once." There we go. That's the truth.

"Well, distractions are something you can't afford right now…"

"Yeah, I get that, Soka," I growled in anger. "I'm just thinking about what's gonna happen when all of this is over… When we do reclaim Onderon… I'm just flustered," It was the half-truth. I was worried about the future of Onderon… But I'm also worried about if I could ever have a future with Ahsoka… I mean, after this is over, I might move back to Onderon.

But I don't know how I'll do that without making myself a public target for Separatist assassins. I know Dooku still wants me dead; I'm a fugitive. I felt like my whole body was completely tense and my brain was more than foggy. I couldn't afford distractions! And I don't have any idea how to clear my mind. When I felt foggy back at my home, I would go into town and spend time at a café, sipping at a cappuccino and reading over my personal datapads. I can't drink cappuccinos now, I can't read datapads, and I absolutely _cannot_ stroll around Central Square in Iziz without getting _shot at!_

Pacing like an angry animal, I kicked something that was in my path without realizing and in the process, I heard a loud shatter. _Shit!_

I looked down and saw that the pot for my nova lilies was now destroyed. The color had gone from a calm blue to a violent red and it hurt to see. The roots were now exposed and the flowers were hurting. Freaking out, I scrambled to pick up the plants and sliced my hand on a jagged piece of ceramic.

"Frakking shit!" I cursed out loud and put my hand on the wound. Damn it, I was panicking…

Before I could even blink, Ahsoka was next to me and her hand was covering my wound. "Come on, we have to clean the dirt out." She pulled me to my feet and led me down the hall to the kitchens. She turned on the warm water and cleaned my wound, making me wince.

"Lexie," She said my name, barely a whisper. I could barely catch it in time before she turned around and fished out a medical kit. "I know that you're trying to do everything at once. You're trying to fight for your home, represent your people, and learn how to be stronger instead of political, and balance your feelings all at once; but having that much stress can hurt you." Her face was as calm as she spoke, taking out a bandage and rubbing antiseptic on my wound.

"I don't know how to deal with it, though…" I muttered, ashamed that I had sunken this low. Ahsoka finished wrapping my wound and looked at me very seriously.

"I can help you."

Whoa, mind, stop that! Don't go to inappropriate places, please! Someone get me a leash because my thoughts are running wild… But, damn it! I can't help myself. She always looks so graceful and beautiful in everything she does. Even when she's looking down at my cut and assessing the damage, she still looks gorgeous. Everything about her is just beautiful…

I shook out of my trance and stuttered, like an absolute moron. "W-What? How?"

"When I'm foggy, I meditate… I don't think you'd be up for sitting still for that long," She could read me like a book. I visibly flinched at the word, _meditate._ "But I have a better idea… My master would get out his frustration and clouded mind with sparring matches… I could help you get stronger in your fighting?"

I said yes to that way too fast.

"Meet me in the storage hull in five minutes. Wear something you can fight in." And with that, she walked off.

I sprinted to my room and stripped off my body suit. I pulled on my black sports bra and biker like spandex pants and combat boots. I guess that would have to do. I ran off to the storage hull and saw Ahsoka out of her dress. She wore a similar color of a tank top and black shorts and no shoes. Her usual arm gauntlets were off, exposing extra markings on her forearms. I've never seen her legs like this… Damn, her whole body was a complete work of art.

Ahsoka turned to look at me and I blushed, realizing just how much of me she could see… I wasn't exactly muscular, but I wasn't pudgy either… I never had much of a problem with my body. I was thin from all of the running I've been doing and from working with my father when he was a mechanic. My arms were fairly strong and my legs had the most muscle. I nervously rubbed my shoulder as she stared at me.

"So… where do we start?" I said. Ahsoka stared at me for a few seconds, I don't know why. Then she looked up at my eyes, her stripes changing color.

"H-Huh?"

Ahsoka? Stuttering? That's new… "Where do we start?" I repeated.

"Show me what you got," Ahsoka stood ready for a fight. I was nervous, knowing exactly what this girl was capable of. Reckless, stupid me decided to run towards Ahsoka at full speed but too bad for me, she was ready for exactly what I was doing.

I ran towards her and she grabbed my forearm and pushed into my chest. Her foot swiftly kicked out my feet from underneath me and she pushed me into the air with her hand. I was in the air for a split second before my back met the hard ground. I started coughing as the wind left my lungs.

"Run like that, you'll be dead where you stand." She put her foot on my stomach and I glared at her as I felt stars appear in my vision. "Your stance is very wrong. You need to be wider, and lower to the ground." She thrust her hand at my face and I sat up, rubbing my neck slightly before grabbing it. She pulled me to my feet, smiling a smile that I haven't seen in a very long time.

"Let's try that again."


	16. Chapter 16

"Lexie, we have to go!"

"Where are we going?" I looked up from my bruised legs and saw Steela standing in my doorway.

"We have to get a message to the people. Put your cloak on, we're going!" Steela hoisted her sniper rifle over her shoulder and I went into my trunk to pull out my old cloak. The one I wore on Carlac. I tied the cloak around my shoulders and pulled the hood over my head, brushing my bangs out of my face.

I slid my pistol into the holster and ran out of the room, stumbling a little but playing it off pretty smoothly, if I do say so myself. Ahsoka was coming with us, which made me kind of excited. Not that kind of excited, stop it!

Crap, where was I… Oh yeah! Anyways, once we reached the city, I headed for the west side, armed with my own holo-transmitter. Ahsoka went for the East side. I weaved a path of my own through merchants, pedestrians, and battle droids. I had to be careful so the battle droids don't recognize me.

Moving quickly to the place marked on my map, I put the transmitter down on the crates behind a fruit merchant that was selling to a mother and her son. I quickly moved to the rendezvous where me and Ahsoka were supposed to meet. Or is it Ahsoka and I… Whatever, grammar aside; It seems that I reached the corner before her. I don't really know what was keeping.

I then saw her in the distance and just as she reached me, our comlinks went off.

"It's time," I muttered. Ahsoka pulled back her sleeve and turned on her transmitter. I did the same and we saw Steela's hologram through the whole city.

"People of Onderon," Steela began. "The time has come to take back our freedom! We have all been deceived; King Rash is a traitor, who has sold Onderon to the Separatists for the crown! But Onderon is ours… we need your strength to reclaim our planet! And restore our sovereignty under our true king: King Dendup!"

The transmission ended and I motioned for Ahsoka to follow me back to our hideout. I removed my cloak and began to rub my arms with nervousness. "What if this fails? I can't imagine what could happen to the people if we can't restore Onderon…" I wasn't really speaking to Ahsoka. More like speaking to myself.

But Ahsoka still responded. "It's gonna work, Lexie. I believe in you," That should mean a lot to me, but right now… It doesn't mean much of anything. How much can an old Senator's daughter do?

"I don't know what I'm doing, Ahsoka… I'm trained in diplomacy. Not wars. This isn't my place…" I shouldn't be here. I belong behind a desk, solving world problems and trying to find a way to end this terrible war! But so far, all I've managed to do is prolong it!

"Lexie… You should think on what's happening," Ahsoka put her hand on my shoulder and I looked up at her from my nervous hands. "Meditation always helps me. Just sit down and try to breathe…" Ahsoka pushed me down onto the bench and I bit my lip at the force she used to push me down as her fingers flexed against my shoulders.

Taking her advice, I decided to close my eyes and breathe. I didn't think of anything but the battle. Strategies, weapons, reckless moves… Wait, reckless moves!

I opened my eyes and heard that they were going to execute King Dendup tomorrow! In Yolahn square! I jumped up from the bench and Saw was still wearing his cloak… Oh no, this cannot be good for us!

"They're making him an example—to humiliate us!" Steela and Ahsoka came back inside as I saw Yura standing outside.

"Maybe… But their efforts could work against them. Executing him would only make him a martyr." While Ahsoka had a point, we can't let our king die!

"We can't let him die!" Saw snapped. "We have to break him out somehow!"

"No!" Steela said. "We should wait until he's in public; at the execution."

"That's where they'd expect it!"

"I know, but this is our moment! We'll save him for all of Iziz to witness! We don't have much time!"

Steela and Saw were acting like true brother and sister right now; bickering back and forth.

"They're counting on us to show up!" Saw began to walk out of the door and into the rain.

"Where are you going?" Steela shouted.

"Trust me…" Oh, I so do not trust him! At all!

Steela apparently didn't trust him either. "Stop!" He froze in his tracks and glared at Steela.

"Let me take care of this."

"This isn't about you!" Steela shouted at Saw, her blood boiling. I knew she was getting pissed at him. He was being reckless and selfish!

"We can't afford a reckless move right now, Saw." I said, trying to speak with reason, like my mother taught me.

"Yeah?" Saw snorted. "Go write a speech about it."

Oh that son of a… I nearly lunged at him but Steela held up her arm to stop me from trying to take him out right then and there. That total piece of Bantha Fodder!

"You have to weigh the risk," Ahsoka said, her words practically dripping with Jedi wisdom. She knows exactly what he's walking into.

"That's why I'm going alone." And with that, Saw walked off. I knew he was trying to be dramatic… But it didn't change the fact that he was still _going!_

I guess I have to think on the bright side… But it doesn't change the fact that Saw is a total jerk. Steela went back to her room to study the datapads she has and the map of the square where Dendup was scheduled to be executed. I knew that there was no way we would let him die… But the thoughts of it all was making me extremely nervous…

I guess I should talk to Steela. Try to reassure her. I feel like Saw was going to be alright. Actually, I know he will.

I knocked on Steela's door and when she didn't respond, I got worried. Pushing her door open, I saw her leaning over the datapads, and groaning. I saw her put her hand on her forehead and rub her eyes.

"Steela," I put my hand on her shoulder. "I know that you're worried about him. But Saw's strong. He won't go down easy… He'll be alright."

Steela didn't seem all that motivated by my words. Yeah, I'm not good with pep talks. The last time I tried to give someone good advice, me and Ahsoka were almost killed by Mandalorian terrorists.

"He's always been brash… Never thinks!" All of this is true… "He doesn't realize that by leaving us, he's hurting us." She rubbed her eyes and stood up straight, putting the datapad down and powering up the generator for the hologram.

"We need a plan. They bring King Dendup through the east entrance of Yolahn Square…" I was trying to focus. I really was. But the hologram was beginning to blur together and Steela's words were like echoes in my ears. I don't know why but… I wasn't feeling all that fantastic. In fact, I felt quite awful…

The world started to spin and Steela's words became nothing but nonsense gibberish.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that I heard Steela shouting my name. " _Lexie!_ " She yelled in my face.

"Whoa! What? Yeah?" I snapped back into reality, blinking a few times as everything became clear once again. I looked over at the hologram and I tried to focus… "I'm sorry… What did you say?"

"Lexie…" Steela grabbed my hands and I blinked as our hands sort of… blurred together. "I think right now… You need some time alone. I'll gather up the troops to go over the plan."

"What? No! I'm fine, I can—"

"Lexie, don't do that. You're overwhelmed. You can't focus… You need time." Steela's hand went to my cheek and I closed my eyes, feeling the truth in her words. She was right. I am overwhelmed… By everything.

"Okay." I bowed my head and began walking out of the room. I stopped and thought of saying something else but… I suppose leaving and resting is the best solution right now. I closed the door behind me and headed towards my room. On my way, I passed Ahsoka on a holocall with Kenobi and Skywalker. I thought about talking to her but my objective was quite clear… Rest. And that's exactly what I will do.

When I got to my room, I went through my drawers and found a small injector of Bacta. I was saving this for after the huge battle… But this is quite critical.

I slowly took off the protective casing on the needle and placed it in my leg, injecting the bacta into my body. It began to heal my damaged nerves and my whole body began to relax. I laid down on the cot and it felt like I was in the best place on Earth… I was back in my garden at home. I turned my head and saw that my Nova-Lilies were still alive… In the make shift pot I have… They were still growing strong…

Very slowly, I could feel the darkness approaching me. I closed my eyes and let sleep succumb to my body. Just relax… soon, it'll be another day…

* * *

…

 _But it wasn't… It was darkness… Cold, deep darkness that no light could illuminate… Until I saw the green… That mystical green glow that I've come to known is the lightsaber color of my Jedi… As I turned, I saw the symbol of the death watch… The cold chill rushed across my face and I saw the snow of Carlac. The tents… The darkness… I approached the tent and pulled back the flap. It was Ahsoka. She was on her knees, bound at the torso and I stood there, blood rushing down my face as Pre-Vizsla stood over Ahsoka with his dark sword… But she was smiling. "I'm glad they will kill me, Bonteri… I would never be with the sorry likes of you, you disgusting schutta!" I gasped and covered my mouth, tears falling down my face… How could she say that to me?!_

" _So it's just like you said: It's not murder at all… It's justice!" Vizsla screamed and I watched as the sword came down on Ahsoka's head and sliced it clean off. I screamed at the top of my lungs as everything faded to black._

 _And then I saw the sunlight… There was a powerful glare and it came from Captain Rex's goggles. I watched as he screamed in my face and insulted me to no end. "You're a failure as a soldier, and a joke as a politician! We should have left this group to die as soon as we found you! You're dragging your team down to the ground!" Rex shoved me and I watched as I fell off a cliff and into pure blackness… Everything moved as I saw Steela and Saw looking down on me._

" _How could we ever trust you? You're a Separatist brat and a traitor!" Steela screamed as I sat on my knees, tears streaming down my face._

" _You are nothing without us! You cannot even compare to what we have done! Your mother's death was for nothing! She wasted her life for you!" Saw's hand went across my face and they turned to dust…_

 _I heard the familiar sounds of wind passing through my windows and I turned around… My mother was looking down on me and there was the most angry look on her face that I've ever seen._

" _Mom!" I shouted, happy as ever that she was alive. But she growled with venom and looked at me with fire in her eyes._

" _You are not my daughter, you filth! You are a perversion of this whole galaxy! To love your own sex is to be a sin against nature! You are worthless! An embarrassment to the Bonteri name! I will never see you as my daughter! You mean nothing to me!"_

 _My mother disappeared with red mist and that was it… I dropped to my knees and started to cry… This is what they thought of me? How could I have been so blind? They've been pretending this whole entire time…_

" _Lexie…" Wait… I know that voice… I haven't heard it since…_

 _I turned around and saw the white glow and then… It was my father! I ran to my father and wrapped my arms around him, crying into my chest._

" _Lexie… You have to be strong…" He told me in that voice that used to tell me bedtime stories… that used to sing while he worked… that told me how to live my life._

" _I don't know how… Everyone hates me. I shouldn't even be here! They all think I'm a joke…" I hugged him tighter as I poured my heart out, shaking with every word. My dad's hand went through my short hair and he kissed my forehead._

" _Sweetheart… You are so much more than you believe… You are strong. You are mighty. And you aren't afraid of anything…"_

" _But I'm scared… I'm scared of letting everyone down. What if I'm not the soldier that you wanted me to be? What if I'm just… nothing more than a politician?"_

 _My father kneeled down so he could look up at me and I wiped at my eyes, sniffling._

" _Lexie… Look inside of you… Tell me what you feel…" I searched my heart inside and thought about who I was… What was something that always kept my faith strong… And well grounded…_

" _I'll tell you what you are, Lexie._ You _are a fighter!" My eyes widened as he placed his hands on my shoulders, smiling up at me with pride in his eyes. "You've never let anyone tell you what you cannot do! You go out into the world and you take what is yours!"_

 _I grinned from ear to ear, wiping my tears away._

" _I understand, daddy… I know what I have to do."_

" _That's my girl…" He hugged me as tight as possible and I hugged back, curling my fingers into his back and crying. Now with happiness. My father… He's always been stronger than me… And now I remember why. I know exactly what I have to do._

* * *

I awoke to a loud banging on my door. I sat up, rubbing my forehead as I called for the mystery person to enter. It was Ahsoka.

"Steela needs everyone while she goes over the plan. Are you ready?" I nodded and yawned, covering my mouth as I left the room, following behind Ahsoka and smiling. Once again, I was truly happy.


	17. Chapter 17

"Do any of you have questions?" Steela shouted to the crowd. This plan is pretty straight forward. I'm not really sure why anyone would have questions about this. Come to think of it… It was too straight forward. Dangerous, even. But then again, what mission isn't?

"So," Steela said, turning to see Ahsoka. "You coming on this mission?"

Sadness streaked across her face and I bit my lip. "I can't. I've already been more involved than the council wanted… I'm afraid that I've been instructed to sit this one out." Dang, now I'm sad.

The door to the front swung open and in ran Yura, panting and afraid. "They have Saw! He's alive, but I watched them take him away!"

Oh no… I looked up at Steela who crossed her arms and scowled, looking down at the hologram. I stood up and walked over towards Steela.

"Steela… What do you want to do about this?" I said to her. She closed her eyes and looked down at her feet, biting down on her lip. Steela looked up at everyone and cleared her throat.

"We go forward as planned… There's no time to rescue Saw at the moment," There was bitter truth in her voice and I know it hurt her badly to say those words. Her brother was everything to her. Just like… Like my family was everything to me. Now, these band of rebels are my family. And I plan to protect them… even if it costs me my life.

"Steela," I muttered. She shook her head. I sighed and stood up on the chair nearby.

"Everyone, gear up! We go out at dawn… To save our true king!" Cheers and whoops of joy rang through the air and I jumped down from the chair, putting my hand on Steela's shoulder.

"They're not going to hurt him, Steela… And they won't get a word out of him."

"I know, Lexie… But it doesn't make it hurt any less." She stepped passed me and I stumbled in place, biting my lip and sighing deeply. Guess it's now or never; time to head to Yolahn Square.

~LINE BREAK~

It was so obvious to tell that she was stressed. Nothing about her movements made her look confident, and nothing in the way she held her weapon was synced with the rest of her. She looked uncomfortable, stressed out, and horrified.

But what can I possibly say to make her feel any better? She's about to go up against a whole battle droid army and try to rescue the king of their homeworld and that requires focus… me speaking would throw her off. Don't look into this, Ahsoka. Lexie can handle this; she can handle anything.

As the time dragged on, I stood away from everyone. They were too busy with everything for me to interfere.

I watched as Lexie struggled to lace up her combat boots and asked someone for help. Yura kneeled down and laced up her boots for her. I think Yura is trying extra hard to stay on Lexie's good side; and for good reason.

No one wants to get hit like that in their lives, and Lexie has some power behind that swing… But there's always been something that I don't understand.

Why would Yura tease Lexie over something like her being homosexual? Being raised by people who didn't feel love, I don't have a brood understanding in the matter… Aren't non-force wielders allowed to love unconditionally? There are just some things that don't make sense to me.

And I know that if I were to question Lexie on the matter, things may go wrong and I don't want that to happen. Having her as a friend is gift enough, I can't lose her because I overstepped my boundaries. I already did once when I compared her to Dooku. To be honest, it was one of the stupidest decisions I ever made. When Lexie hit me, I knew I had done one of the worst things ever. But me being angry about it was just wrong. If someone had compared me to a person like him, I would flip out too.

My eyes wandered over to Lexie who was rubbing the scar on her nose and squinted her eyes, looking up at the rest of the rebels in the room. And then, oh Force, she's looking at me! Oh no, she's coming towards me; okay, be cool. Be Jedi-Cool… Okay, brain, don't ever think that again.

"Lexie! How are you feeling?" Really, Ahsoka? That's all you got? Pull it together!

"Hey, Ahsoka. I'm okay for now… I don't know if that will last though." Lexie leaned against the wall next to me and looked down at the ground, crossing her arms and holding them against her ribcage. I thought carefully on my next words. Don't make this any worse…

But before I could say anything, she spoke again. Okay, thank Force. "Ahsoka, I know you said you were going to sit this one out because the Jedi don't want you interfering but… It would be a really big help if you were there with us. Blending in? If we get into any trouble, you don't have to interfere… But it would be nice to see your beautiful face before I get executed in front of all of Iziz." She snorted but I could see her hands. They were shaking.

What else could I do? I reached for her gloved hands and gently held them in my own. They were so rough and coarse… But somehow, very gentle and warm. Running my thumb across the top of her right hand, I looked into her silver eyes and smiled.

"You're not going to die… I'll be there, Lexie." Her eyes immediately brightened and she ripped her hands from my own. And then, they were resting on my back as she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

"Thank you, Ahsoka! Thank you so much!" It sounded like she was going to cry. I didn't do anything else other than wrap my own arms around her and gently rub her back.

I could already tell that when I have to say goodbye to Lexie, it won't be easy at all.


	18. Chapter 18

I learned how to shoot from my father. I learned how to take criticism with a smile from my mother. I learned how to cook from my handmaidens. I learned how to respect nature from my Dalgos. And I learned that not all hope was lost in the eyes of my people… In the eyes of Onderon.

But everything is different now. My father is not around to teach me how to properly handle a sniper rifle. My mother can't teach me how to handle my emotions. My handmaidens can never teach me one more thing in the kitchen. My Dalgos are all but lost in the woods of Onderon… And my home has fallen to evil; to a government that I once had faith in. I was once proud to be a Confederate; to look up to Count Dooku as our leader on the path to ending this terrible war with the Republic.

I am not any longer. My affiliation lies with my people… And we are all but silenced. All that remains is the rebels… The terrorists. I am guilty of much more than treason… I landed in a war zone… And I have brought my own battle with me. Dooku still wants me dead—to join my mother in the ashes of what could ever possibly remain of my home. To lie in an unmarked grave and be the late senator's forgotten misfit of a daughter. A disgrace to the Bonteri name… I have fallen for much more than Dooku's trickery… The day I fell for that Jedi… Was the day my entire life changed.

And now here I stand, cloaked in fear and sweating with rage, my hand shaking as I hold Steela's sniper rifle in my grasp.

People from all over Iziz have gathered here to witness the fall of our king… Me and Steela push our way through the crowd and get as close to the steps as possible without us being recognized. And the closer we got, I could make out Saw. He was standing there, as terrified as ever, his hands cuffed together. He would be killed today as well, if we don't stop them.

"As your king, I present to you, Ramsis Dendup!" Rash stood near the ray shield at the front of the stairs, as did King Dendup, but he stood behind the shield… I know exactly what that will be used for.

"Not as a former king, but as a criminal! Sponsoring terrorist acts against the people of Onderon!" The people began to whisper… "But fear not, good citizens. As your leader, and protector, I will see that you are safe from such villainy. He has betrayed you, and today, he will pay for those treasonous deeds—with his life!" The droid behind Dendup hit him in the back of the legs, making him fall to his knees.

The false king whispered to Dendup before laughing hysterically and dropping a half-eaten muja fruit into the ray shield. The droids turned on their shock batons and with one electrifying pulse, the fruit was split in two… That is what will happen to king Dendup if we don't do something!

I turned my head and looked at Hutch who nodded. I looked over to Yura who also nodded in return.

Dendup's head was pushed through the ray shield and he stared down at the pavement, ready to face his fate… I was getting anxious… Steela, what are we waiting for!

"Wait for my signal…" Oh for Force sake, come on!

"Ready weapons…" Rash shouted at the droids who once again activated their shock batons and held them above their heads. Rash raised his hands to give the droids the signal.

"Not yet…"

Rash moved his hand, as his own signal. "Now!" Steela shouted. Hutch and Yura stood beneath Steela as they hoisted her up in the air and I quickly gave her the sniper rifle. She shot both droids holding the shock batons and dropped to the pavement. I threw off my cloak and tossed two smoke grenades to the stairs, to cloud their vision.

"C'mon! Let's move!" I ran for the stage and without even thinking, I struck Rash as hard as I could in the back of his head with the butt of my weapon.

One by one, we eliminated the droids on the stage. We had King Dendup, and Saw with us. Yura shouted for us all to follow her.

"Come on, this way! Let's get out of here!" And then, she fell silent with the sound of a gun.

I froze in place. Yura gasped one last time before I saw her body hit the floor, lifeless and dead… Yura, the girl that I thought I hated, now deceased… The smoking hole in her chest smelled of burnt flesh and bubbling blood.

The droids marched through the crowd and stepped on Yura's corpse and I could do nothing but back away in terror… Oh, Ahsoka, we need you…

We were surrounded… The droid demanded we surrender, or die.

"It's over." Dendup said. "Do as they say…"

I dropped my pistol to the ground as Steela put down her sniper rifle and Hutch dropped his dual pistols. They forced us onto the stage but I was stopped by the false king, Rash.

"And here we have the late Senator's daughter… Tell me, how does it feel to disgrace your family name?" He grabbed me by the chin and grinned like an evil snake. I snarled and built up spit in my mouth before hurling it at his face.

"How's it feel to be a false king with no loyalty?" I guess he didn't like what I said. He lifted his hand with many rings on his fingers and with the back of it, _smack!_

It struck my face, harsher than a punch, making my head jolt to the side and a grunt escape my mouth.

The entire crowd booed at this and it made me have a flicker of hope in my mind. I looked up as Rash wiped the spit from his eyes and looked to the crowd.

"Calm yourselves, the threat is over. See for yourselves as these traitors all endure the same punishment!" I was shoved along by a droid and my hands were held behind my back. I flinched as I could feel bruises forming on my cheekbones.

Looking up, I once again saw Dendup forced down with his head through the ray shield. I didn't even dare look as Rash said "Ready weapons!"

Closing my eyes and waiting for his impending doom, I shook as I felt tears streak down my face.

"The snake will not strike again!" Rash shouted.

This is it… I've come this far just to—"Stop!"

Wait… what?

"The only snake I see, sire, is you!" I turned my head and saw the general of the Onderon militia, followed by the entire Iziz army!

They had spears pointed at the droids and the false king, who called the man a traitor.

"I was," The general stated. "Not anymore." He turned to look at Saw who smiled at him. What exactly happened when Saw was locked up?

The General grabbed Rash and held his weapon up to the false king's throat, holding him hostage.

"Go." We didn't question him. All of us took off with Dendup and Saw with us. And soon, the entire militia followed us towards our safe house. I let out a long breath that I had no idea I was holding in my lungs and very slowly, I fell on my knees, my entire body shaking with distress.

Yura… She's dead… I am much more upset about this than I thought I would be. It would just be another passing; a death that I would come to accept. But Yura… Just as she was beginning to change for the better, met her death. That is heart breaking. And I guess I can't handle it.

I didn't know that tears began to stream down my cheeks until they struck my hands below me. Words behind me and around me blurred together. I didn't know what I was getting myself involved with… This is just one death… How many more will follow?

Hell, what if I die? My family's legacy… My mother's death… It will all have been for nothing.

The silence was interrupted by the General entering the room, followed by Ahsoka. I gasped with relief and then felt all my sadness get washed away with the sight of her beautiful eyes. They looked like they were full of life—there's a spark inside that I can't quite put my finger on…

"Why now?" Dendup demanded an answer from the general.

"It was time for a new approach, my lord." I slid my way into the seat next to the king and looked up at the general, smiling with gratitude.

"Do I have your loyalty?"

"And that of the army."

"You also have ours," Steela stated, smiling down at Dendup. "With your rule, our numbers will grow."

"Thanks, child." Dendup turned to look at me and I looked down at my hands in shame. I don't know what he's going to say but I felt a hand on my back and looked up at the old man I once saw as my king; and still do.

"Don't listen to Rash, my dear. Your mother would be very proud of you. As well as your father." I bit my lip and nodded my head, smiling at him.

"Thank you, my lord…"

"We must first win the will of the people. That is the only way," Dendup rose to his feet and I followed, holding my hands behind my back and listening to what he had planned. "The Separatists will assemble their forces. Count Dooku will want me dead more than ever."

"Then we'll have to teach them another lesson," Saw said, putting his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Together!"

Everyone began cheering and I turned my head a little and saw Ahsoka walking towards me. I blushed and stepped away from the crowd and towards her.

"So, I see someone couldn't resist a good fight?" I playfully mocked her.

"Am I becoming that predictable?" She said, with a hint of modesty. I smiled and shook my head.

"Only to me."

Clearly I said the right thing… Her eyes lit up like a Tatooine sunrise. I watched as her headtail stripes changed from deep blue to cyan and I wasn't sure about that… I may have to do some research on Togrutan characteristics…

But at any rate, I couldn't help but smile back and reach for her hand, very slowly brushing my lips against her soft knuckles and just above where her glove ended. Closing my eyes and trying to not let my emotions show, I breathed slowly as my lips left her hand. When I looked up at her, her stripes had gotten even lighter and her eyes were closed, head turned to the side and her lips pressed together.

It would be so easy to just take her by the waist and kiss her… But I couldn't. I had to be smart about this. I bit my lip and gave it a little thought, still looking up at Ahsoka who refused to open her eyes.

I think I may need to talk with her masters… See what their view on love is… I don't want to mess this up… Because, holy hell, I am madly in love here!


	19. Chapter 19

We decided that we couldn't stay in Iziz any longer. It was too dangerous to hang around where we could be found. But until we found a base outside the city walls, we're to remain put. The General and the Militia managed to get out of the city with minimal issues… The only way the rest of us could ever hope to get out, is on Rupings.

But until they can get Rupings into the city, we have to move underground. The tunnels underneath the safe house we have will only go so far, but I guess there's no other alternative.

Luckily, I have managed to keep myself busy with Holo-Recordings. Battle tactics, target practice, hand to hand combat—I wish I could say I was trying to learn, but really… I just want a distraction. After watching the same recording for at least 3 hours, I feel like my eyes may fall out of their sockets.

The instructor went over the basic forms and in the middle of their words, I heard the door behind me swish open. I didn't turn around though.

"Still watching that recording, I see." Steela's words rung in my ears and I rubbed my eyes, waving my hand over the hologram and watching the device shut down.

"It's good information to memorize, don't you think?" I turned to look at her and her arms were crossed and she was staring into my eyes. I just blinked and waited for the lecture. I knew that face… It was the same face my mother gave me when I had done something wrong.

"Lexie," I looked up at her, my back slumped over and my hands on my knees. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"What are you talking about?" Okay, I am doing a lot of things to myself, be specific, Steela!

"Trying to step into your father's shoes? Revenge your mother? Get back your honor? Torturing yourself with that Jedi?" Oh, so the truth comes out at last… "Look at yourself! When was the last time you washed your hair?"

"Hmm… five rotations ago?" I was being sarcastic. I cannot honestly remember how long it had been. Other things at this time seemed more important. Hair care was a silly thing to dwell on. Truthfully, I couldn't care less if it all fell out at this point. It's just become an obstacle.

"Okay, that's it," Steela grabbed me by the hand and pulled me down the dark, dingy halls of our hideaway. Passing a few that still remained in our group, she led me to a room in the very back of the halls and the door slid open upon the passcode being entered. When I looked inside, it was like a refresher, except no shower. A small white stained tub with a matching toilet against the wall and a small white sink. There were potted moonflowers and roses in the corner and on the lip of the tub was a small candle and a super-heated lighter.

I couldn't stop the smile on my face. It was all so overwhelmingly beautiful. Before I could thank Steela, she was out of the room and the door closed behind her. I grinned like a Lothal cat and turned on the water, making it as hot as possible and waited for it to fill up. Down by the moonflowers were different scented bath soaps and I picked up the honey, adding some to the mix of water and watched as the liquid became a bubble of life under the faucet.

I stripped. Stripped and looked at myself in the mirror that sat across from the tub. A large crack ran down the middle and at the top, it looks as if the glass had rusted.

I looked at myself in the mirror, and saw horrendous sights. I was covered in bruises, scratches, and scabs. My legs hadn't been shaved in... who even knows how long. I felt like a shag carpet, and I swear, even looked like one.

That's when I saw the razor. Sitting on the lip of the tub was a heat-blade: a singular laser blade held in with a magnetic containment field for ultra-precision. The handle was small, like a razor blade. Only this way, there's no hair residue, it gets burned off and all you do afterward is rub on water to clean the singed hairs. If anything, it's healthier than any razor.

I decided on shaving first. And being a girl, I took the liberty of shaving everywhere to make myself much more presentable than I've been in months. Dragging the heat-blade across my skin and feeling the smooth surface underneath made me feel much better about myself already. When my skin was rid of pesky hairs, I turned off the blade and slowly sank my entire body into the tub, feeling my stress finally blister away with the heat of the water.

I let out a sigh that I didn't realize I had been holding in. Finally, I was able to relax. And in my relaxation, I finally got to think about everything that had been happening.

My thoughts wandered to my mother... How I had wished I had returned in time to help her, but knowing my clumsiness back then, I probably would have been killed in the process. But I can't stop thinking about how I let everything fall between my fingertips. If I had only listened to Ahsoka from the very beginning and not gone to Carlac... Oh, Ahsoka...

I thought back to when I first saw her... A vision in red, beautiful orange skin, those angelic face markings... Angels of Iego would fall at her feet in jealousy! Her beautiful eyes, so mesmerizing, like swimming in the thousand oceans of Kamino.

I thought of all the mistakes I made with her. Tasing her, hitting her, hurting her feelings... I was so blinded by rage that I couldn't see that my tool to avenging my mother was right there in front of me. Ahsoka made me see things for how they really are.

I can feel my heart pounding in my chest just at the thought of her... But she could never return my feelings. Not after all the mistakes I've made. We're both just too different. She's a Jedi; a deeply spiritual being that is connected to the universe in ways completely incomprehensible to someone like me. She's a combat pro and absolutely gorgeous...

I'm just a former separatist brat with a twisted view of the galaxy... The kind of person that romanticizes flowers. I'm a klutz with weapons, not a good fighter, and I look like hell no matter what. That stupid scar. Ever since I got that scar, nothing has gone right. It's like the darksaber cursed me. I'm just bad luck- A grenade.

I sat in the bath water until my fingers wrinkled and decided it was time to get out. My hair was clean, my skin was dirt free and my legs were weak with how relaxed I felt. Reaching for a towel, I wrapped it around my body and looked in the cracked mirror. I had almost forgotten what I looked like, living in the ruins for so long.

My hair's growing back a bit and there's that sloppy look of 'I'm growing wrong because you cut me off and I hate you'.

I ran a comb through it and used the towel to dry it off. When it was dry enough, I wiped off the rest of my body free of water. It felt wrong to put back on my dirty clothes so I left the bathroom, still wrapped in a towel, and walked to my bedroom. I opened the door-

And jumped about 5 feet in the air.

There Ahsoka was, sitting on my bed, looking down at the flowers I had. My scream shocked her to the point where she actually fell off my bed and landed on the ground, on her butt.

Forgetting all about myself, I freaked out and rushed to see if she was okay.

"Ahsoka! Are you alright?"

"Yes, Lexie, I'm fine," She looked up at me and I saw her stripes change color as she looked in my eyes and down my neck to my body. And that's when I realized I dropped my towel.

I had no intentions of squeaking like a baby Dalgo but it happened and I covered myself immediately. The girl of my dreams shouldn't see me like this, especially when she could be hurt.

I wrapped one hand around my chest and used the other to reach for my towel, my hands shaking with nervousness.

"I-I'll get it!" Ahsoka jumped up and grabbed my towel off the ground, shook it out, and draped it over my back without looking at me.

"A-Ahsoka, I'm so sorry..." I was blushing like a friggin' childish school girl with a crush! It was so embarrassing...

"Lexie, It's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry, I was staring and I didn't do anything and- and I was staring and- and now I'm stammering..." For the first time in my life, I have seen Ahsoka flustered and nervous and it was quite possibly the most adorable thing in the universe.

"I-I'm just gonna shut up now..." She sat on my bed, her back facing me and I giggled.

"Well, if I knew it was this easy to get you to be silent, I'd flash you more often." Ahhhh, I've got the jokes... They aren't good jokes, but I got 'em!

Ahsoka looked absolutely mortified. I decided to not provoke it anymore and sighed.

"Okay, to further prevent your amazing heart from having an attack, don't look this way until I say it's okay." As quickly as humanly possible, I dropped the towel and pulled on my workout shorts and tank top, tossing my dirty jumpsuit into the corner for me to clean later.

"Okay, you can look now." I ran my fingers through my hair and watched her turn around, her stripes still deep blue, almost black. I bit my lip.

"Uh... Was that a birthmark I saw?" Ahsoka said, pointing to my chest. I sighed and pulled the collar of my shirt down to show her the mark that I've resented most of my life. It was just a blob to me but my mom said it looked like a Convorees and it was dark brown, like a disease.

"Yeah, it's stupid. My mom used to say it looks like a bird."

"Aw, that's so cute!" Ahsoka reached out to touch it and when her fingertip grazed the mark, I felt a shiver race over my whole body.

Pulling my shirt back up, I sat next to Ahsoka, breathing as slow as I could make myself breathe without holding my breath entirely.

"So, why are you here?"

"Steela told me something was bothering you. I wanted to help you; are you okay?"

Steela told her that... Oh Steela, I'm gonna break your face!

I blushed once again and shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess it's just the war... Everything, really. There's so much pressure on us all and I just don't want to let my people down... Or die. That would be a downer. But hey, if I die, I'll see my parents again!" I faked a smile. But really, joking like that tore my heart apart... It's so horrible to think that all the family I have is gone.

"Lexie, you aren't going to die... I promise." Ahsoka wrapped her arm around my shoulders and I sighed.

"How can you promise that? It's a war-zone. There's a chance I'll die tomorrow."

"No, you aren't going to die because I won't let you die. I promised I'll protect you, didn't I?"

Oh my Force, she's willing to fight for me? Really? I could feel my heart swelling with happiness. I couldn't help myself. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her as tightly as possible. My fingertips were digging into her bare back and her skin felt so soft under mine. Ahsoka wrapped her arms around me and I felt like I could have died there... But Ahsoka wouldn't allow that. It seemed silly to be so happy over this but it means a lot to me...

"Ahsoka... Besides Steela, I think you are the only person out there that still really cares about me... So... I wanted to say that-" Oh no, you are not going to blab all of your feelings to her, not like this!

So, I bit my tongue. I held back. Forced myself to shut up. I will not become a cliché.

"It means a lot to me. It really does. Thank you." I wasn't going to look at her. I just wanted to hold her. I was holding her like she was a flotation device in a body of water. Like she was the warmth in a snowstorm. Like she was... My everything.

Minutes went by with me just holding her. Until I felt her shift and move her hand up away from my back. It was to cover a yawn. She was tired, of course.

"Ahsoka, are you tired?"

"What? No! Of course not!" As if knowing when she was full of crap, she yawned again and her stripes changed color. I smirked and pushed her back.

"Ahsoka, why don't you get some rest?"

"Lexie, I have a bed of my own-"

"You sleep on a mat in the kitchens. Please, take mine." The bed was big enough for two people, but I didn't think that would be appropriate... To add to the frustration I felt, I yawned as well. The bath made me relax, and now I felt exhausted.

"Lexie, please lay down. You need to sleep too." Ahsoka said as she began to take off her boots.

"N-No, it's okay. I don't think you'd be very comfortable-"

"Lexie," She glared at me. "Lay down." It was a command, not a suggestion. I blushed and laid down on the other side of the bed, yawning once again. My head rested against the pillow and I suddenly felt very self conscious as I heard an unbuckling sound behind me. I looked over and saw her removing her arm gauntlets, exposing her extra markings.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip, shivering a little as I felt Ahsoka inch towards me and I felt her breath against my neck. Oh my, her feet are so cold!

She was putting her feet against my bare legs and I shivered again at how cold they were.

"Ahsoka, your feet are freezing!" I sat up and grabbed my blanket, pulling it up over her body. She smirked.

"My dear Lexie, are you worried about me?" She said, wrapping her body up in the blanket. I giggled.

"I didn't drop my towel to make sure your butt was okay for nothing,"

When her stripes flashed again, I couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled out of my throat and laid down once again, this time facing her and looking into her eyes. She was looking back.

But that didn't last very long. Her eyes began to close and her breathing slowed to soft, but heavy. I couldn't help the little smile that flashed over my face and I closed my own eyes, finally trying to get some rest. And it didn't take long, I was out in a few seconds.

* * *

 _I wanted to make another mushy chapter, there hasn't been a chapter like this in a long time! I love mushy lesbian stuff! I hope you like it too! I tried to not make it too cliche, but I may have crossed a line a little bit. I hope it's okay! Thank you!_


	20. Chapter 20

Waking up is the worst part of my days. The groggy, still sleep slumped is the worst feeling, but for some reason, I felt oddly comfortable. More comfortable than usual... What is that sound? It sounds like... A heartbeat!

Fear struck deep in my heart and I looked up to see Ahsoka. Her neck, her peaceful serene face, her slow rising chest that my face was pressed against not two seconds ago! I wanted nothing more than to pretend this had never been seen and go right back to sleep. But something inside of me clicked and I just felt so guilty... And I don't even know why.

Then, all reason left my life when Ahsoka reached out and pulled me back into her, pressing her lips into a line and adjusting her head on the pillow, still fast asleep like the little angel she is. I was blushing, how could I not? I was now face first in Ahsoka's keyhole top and her smell was completely overpowering, it's like getting drunk!

Very slowly, I pushed away and turned on my other side, covering my mouth with my hands and practically vibrating with nervousness. Until I heard a soft whine next to me. My mood went from nervous to flattered in a matter of seconds when I felt Ahsoka's strong arms wrap around my waist and a soft moan leave her throat as she buried her face in the back of my neck. I squeaked in surprise when one of her legs wound its way around my waist and pulled me even closer. Something tells me she sleeps with a body pillow at the Jedi Temple.

And since I was now facing the door, when it opened and Saw was standing there, he only saw me.

"Good, you're awake. We need to get out of here as soon as possible, grab your gear and... Why do you look so terrified?" He stared me down and I blushed bright red and moved slightly to show him just exactly who was clinging to me for dear life. And of course, instead of help me, he begins laughing.

"Oh you sly Anooba! You're with the Jedi!" He howled like an animal and I felt Ahsoka stir against my neck and I gulped in fear about what was going to happen.

"Mmm, master, no more morning drills... Rex can do it," She mumbled in her half sleep state and I couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up. Which was then replaced with gasping as Ahsoka's arms clutched around my middle like a lifeline.

"Oh my Force, what have I done?" She said, jumping out of my bed and promptly falling, tripping over her boots.

Saw howled once again, thinking this was the most comical thing in the world. I jumped up and pushed him in the chest.

"Go on! Get out! Didn't your sister ever teach you how to knock?" I shouted down the hall and closed the door, this time locking it.

"Oh my Force, Oh my Force, Lexie I'm so sorry, I-I don't know what I was thinking, I just-"

"Hey, hey," I jumped over my bed and put my hands on her shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong. Just calm down. All we did was sleep, that's it!"

"I know! But I probably invaded your personal space and you were uncomfortable and I just, I'm sorry..." She was rushing to get her boots back on and I scowled with frustration.

"Ahsoka, you didn't, calm down." I couldn't have a talk like this with her big, sad, beautiful eyes looking down at the ground. I reached for her chin and made her look up. "If I'm being totally honest... I liked it. It made me feel safe."

"Really? I didn't scare you?" Ahsoka tilted her head like a house pet. It was precious and I couldn't help but grin.

"There is nothing in this world that you could ever do that would scare me, Ahsoka." I couldn't care less how dumb that sounded. This girl right here was my everything. Words can't express how in love I am with her... And I can't even tell her that I am. I don't want to scare her away.

She smiled at me with those beautiful white teeth of hers and I stood up, walking towards the place where I put my clothes yesterday but they were gone... What the heck?

"Ahsoka, where are my clothes?" I said, extremely confused.

"Huh?" She looked up and was extremely confused. Clearly, she didn't know about it either. So I decided to go find them myself. Maybe Steela knows where they are?

"Steela! Do you know where my clothes are?" I walked into her room and saw her standing over a holonet transmission. It was three holograms of Steela, Saw, and me. They're offering 50,000 credits for Steela and the same for Saw but they offered 100,000 credits for me... And they specifically want me alive.

"Steela?" She turned around and it looked like she had been crying. I was more confused than ever as she walked towards me and I thought she was going to hit me or something... But instead, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tighter than ever before.

"Please be careful, today... I feel like something bad is going to happen," Steela sniffed like her nose was runny and it made me worried. I pushed her back and looked at her, frowning.

"Steela, don't worry. You've taught me so much while I've been here... I'm sure that I'll be okay," I could feel my heart constricting in my chest and my eyes were close to tearing up. Over time, I have begun to look at Steela like a mother to me. When all was grim, Steela was there for me. When I was sick, Steela helped me. When I was depressed, Steela cheered me up. She had the spirit of an older sister with the nurturing feel of a mother. She's my family now. And Saw, well... He's like an annoying little brother, but twice my age.

But irregardless of our past, all I can see is a future with them; my new family.

"I heard we were leaving," I said, trying to change the subject from something that was just depressing. Steela sighed and turned to the holo-transmitter and extracting the disk inside before picking up her sniper rifle and shooting it. I jumped in shock. I know she was just covering our tracks but damn, she should really warn someone first.

"Dendup has already been evacuated. I need you and Ahsoka to stay behind for a little longer; we need to broadcast one last transmission."

I bit my lip and shivered at this. Me and Ahsoka stay behind? What if something goes wrong? Force forbid that Ahsoka's life end up in jeopardy... Oh, who am I kidding? I'd lay down my life for her any day.

"Okay. I'll let her know. Thank you for cleaning my uniform, by the way." I could see my now clean clothes on a chair, folded neatly. Smiling, I picked them up and nodded at her once more before walking back to my room. Ahsoka was still inside my room; it looked like she was waiting for me to return.

"So, the plan is, we leave today but separately from all the others. We have to stay behind to give one last transmission to Onderon," I was saying all of this while I was taking off my clothes absent mindedly. It wasn't until I was just in my underwear, did I realize what I did. Ahsoka's stripes were flashing different colors as she stared at me. I looked down at my body which, may I say, looks much better than yesterday, and blushed several different shades of red.

"A-And then what?" Ahsoka stuttered. I couldn't help but inwardly 'aww' at how cute she was when she was flustered. But the situation called for seriousness, despite the circumstances. So I quickly slid into my jumpsuit and zipped it up the front and pulled my boots on.

"We, um..." Damn it, what was it?... Oh yeah! "We fly outta here. There's gonna be a Ruping on the rooftops for us. We won't be staying back long. Just long enough to make sure the signal transmits and then we leave with everyone else."

"Oh. O-Okay," She continued to stutter as her stripes slowly changed back to their natural blue color and I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my throat. She looked at me, her head tails whipping as she turned her head so violently.

"What's so funny?"

"Ah, nothing!" I quickly spoke, covering up my happiness. "Nothing at all, 'Soka."

"Uh-huh, sure." She scowled and stood up, walking towards the door. Smiling to myself, I stood up, grabbed my pistols, and walked with her out my door and to where Steela was waiting for us. On the way, I ran into Saw. Literally ran into him.

My shoulder collided with his arm and he was smirking; of course he was smirking! He thinks I'm shacking up with a Jedi for Force sake! I'm surprised his cheeks haven't split apart yet.

I glared at him, resisted the urge to chase him down and beat him senseless and just spoke to Steela.

"Please get your brother under control. He's become increasingly more pathetic since we saved his life." Steela snorted.

"Doesn't mean he isn't grateful," She glanced over my shoulder at her brother before turning her attention back towards me. "Our new post is at the old mining facility on the outskirts. You been there before?"

"Oh yeah, I know the place. Don't worry," Ahsoka nodded in response as she was being handed a box.

"This is what you'll need. Place it in the middle of the Market square. The commuting levels are high today, you'll basically have the attention of the whole city." Ahsoka opened the box and pulled out a holo-transmitter, inspecting it for a few seconds, and placing it back inside.

"We won't let you down, Steela. Now you two should go." She nodded and gave me one last hug before calling her brother over. They were the only two left at the safe house with me and Ahsoka, which was good.

* * *

I stood on the rooftops, watching Steela and Saw fly away and tried to keep my Ruping quiet so the droids didn't shoot us out of the sky before we even started flying. Ahsoka was in town, planting the transmitter in the middle of the market street. I could see her from the roof; it wasn't hard to spot her out of everyone in the crowd. She was the only one that had horns.

But just as I slightly looked away and went back to where she was, she was gone. And in her place, sat the box. I saw a droid start to approach the transmitter but it activated and where it was, appeared a giant hologram of King Dendup.

" _My fellow subjects: I appear, not as your king. But as a servant of Onderon. We are in the midst of a great struggle. The confederacy has used the recent attacks as an opportunity to tighten their hold on Onderon. They have accused me of leading these so-called terrorists. It is a lie they have engineered to further restrict your independence and use deadly force against our people. The truth is, I have never met them before now. I have come to know them as the true sons of Onderon. They are unwilling to surrender our freedom to those who conspire to take it from us,"_

I was broken from my trance of the king's speech to see Ahsoka climbing up the side of the roof. I jumped on the saddle of the Ruping and held out my hand for her. She graciously took it and I pulled her onto the back of the creature with me. Her arms wrapped around my waist and I couldn't help but blush as the Ruping spread its wings and began to fly off towards the mines.

When the transmission ended, I could hear the screams of droids and the angry roars of the people. They're rioting. Yes!

Ahsoka was unusually quiet though; I didn't like it.

"Ahsoka? Are you alright?"

"I just hope everything goes well, today. I don't want you getting hurt," Ahsoka placed her head on my shoulder and I felt all breath leave my body. Quickly trying to regain it back, I snorted.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about you, 'Soka. If you get hurt, the galaxy will have lost its most valuable peace keeper." I said, now more worried than ever for her life.

"Lexie, I'm hardly that valuable. I'm still just a Padawan," She sounded annoyed from the tone in her voice. I sighed and turned slightly to speak to her eye to eye.

"Ahsoka, the Jedi may think you are just a padawan, a learner, a student, but I see a whole lot more than they ever will."

"Oh yeah?" She laughed. "Like what?"

"Well," Oh great, here it comes. "You were the first Jedi I ever met, Padawan or not. And you have to be the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in my entire life. You changed my outlook on the entire galaxy, moved my heart, taught me right from wrong, and saved my life more times than I care to count. You aren't just a Padawan. You are a Jedi. My Jedi... The person I have come to care for more than I care for anything in this whole universe. I mean, sure, Onderon is a huge part of my life... But it would be nothing without you. You gave us hope again, you..." I paused before turning my head completely. "You gave _me_ hope again."

Well, there it is. The feeling of saying too much finally came back to bite me in the ass, huh? I have said too much, I just know it. Ahsoka looks like she is going to throw up or break down into tears.

Shit, shit, shit! Me and my big mouth. I was about to speak again before I heard my Ruping screech and I turned to see the old site.

"Oh look! We're here," I said as quickly as humanly possible and landed the Ruping on the walkway out of the cave. As it touched down, I jumped off the Ruping and immediately ran up to where Steela and Saw were.

"They're rioting in the streets. The people are fighting back," I smiled. In truth, I thought this was a great thing.

"That's a beautiful thing," Saw patted my shoulder and I grinned like a child. But Steela was to sprinkle her wisdom over us for a few seconds.

"We need to keep the battle to the outskirts of the city." While she had a point, I didn't find it all that realistic. The war will get to the city somehow.

"Yeah, less structures for the droids to demolish... and no innocent lives to use as human shields." I said, looking down and crossing my arms in annoyance.

"But less clankers. Their main force is in Iziz. We should join the fight down there, and take it straight to King Rash." Okay, that was too much.

"We all want victory, but not at the cost of innocent lives!" Steela snapped in her brother's face. "If we fight door to door, no one is safe."

"This is war, Steela!" Saw was clearly getting annoyed.

"She's right." King Dendup spoke up from where he was standing behind us and Ahsoka stood next to him. I was now blushing way too much for my own good.

"I agree," Oh no, she's gonna talk... Stay focused! "The more you draw the droids from the city to the highlands, the safer the people will be." She said and I couldn't help but notice how her stripes were still a vibrant blue and she looked a lot more pale than usual. Maybe what I said really did damage her from how incredibly stupid it was.

The captain of the militia bowed down to the king. "My men await your command, my lord."

"I believe there's a new contender," He turned to look at Steela. " _You_ will lead our forces, including the Royal Army. Steela is now the commanding general."

"A great choice," Ahsoka agreed and put her hands behind her back, smiling.

"As you wish, my lord." The militia captain agreed to the king's new decision and I couldn't help but smile. Steela's moving up in life. I'm sure that by the time all of this is over, she'll be the head command in the Army for Onderon.

"You and your rebel friends renewed my faith in myself. Now, I'm putting my faith in you," King Dendup placed his hand on her arm to show his gratitude and it seemed that Steela was speechless.

"Thank you, your majesty." Was all she could manage to say. King Dendup walked away into the caves and I quickly wrapped my arms around Steela's shoulders.

"Isn't this great, Steela? I'm sure by the time this is over, you'll be in command of the entire Onderon army! You're brilliant!" I said with all my enthusiasm. Steela rolled her eyes and gently shook me off of her, walking towards her own Ruping.

"Yeah, don't get ahead of yourself. Let's see if we survive this first." There was a glimmer of humor behind her serious tone and I smirked before hugging her as tight as I could without hurting her. But I heard her clear her throat as she motioned towards something over my shoulder. I glanced and saw Ahsoka staring at me, waiting for me to see her.

I blushed and turned back around towards Steela. "Crap... Guess I better go and face my mistake."

Turning on my heel and walking towards Ahsoka, she stared into my eyes and I felt like I was drifting away again... So beautiful...

"A-Ahsoka, about what I said, I just wanted you to know-"

And then, time stopped.

Ahsoka Tano, the most beautiful girl in the galaxy, the best Jedi I know, my hardcore crush, is... She's kissing me!

I couldn't think straight. Hell, who needs to think?! This is... I'm shocked.

Her lips were even softer and sweeter than I could ever have imagined. Her touch was rough, but also feather soft. Her lips moved against mine perfectly, like they belonged there since day one. Her eyes were closed but mine were open. I was in shock. I didn't know what to do. But there was only one thing I could do. Kiss her back. Kiss her back like my entire life depended on this one moment. And in a way, it did.

Because if I don't kiss her back, consider me dead. Because I have wanted this since I have laid eyes on this beautiful Togrutan. Ahsoka's hands ghosted across my arms to my neck and I slowly placed my own hands against her cheek, tilting her head slightly upward to angle the kiss better. It was as if time had stood still just for us.

I don't know if the kiss lasted for seconds, or minutes. But it didn't last long enough, I'll tell you that. Ahsoka put her hands against my chest and gently pushed away from me. And as an idiot, my lips were still puckered and my eyes were still closed as if she was still there long after she was gone.

I felt like my heart was fluttering. My head was spinning. My body was hot. Everything about this moment made me the happiest girl in the world. And then, came the embarrassment.

From where we stood, I heard cheers and wolf whistles. Turning to look up, I saw Steela, Saw, and all the rebels standing there, clapping, applauding, and cheering for us. I blushed bright red and looked at Ahsoka who's stripes flashed several different shades of blue and looked up at me, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Lexie, I-"

Oh please don't apologize for this, please...

"I think I may love you."

And it is at this very moment that I knew that no matter what happens today, I am going to see it through to the end. Because this girl right here? This beautiful, perfect Jedi in front of me, is going to be completely fine. Even if it kills me.

* * *

 ** _IT HAPPENED! YAYYYY!_**


	21. Chapter 21

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

"I got this."

"Okay, I'm just making sure because I don't want you to-"

"Ahsoka, I'll be fine. You worry too much."

"Can you blame me? I love you."

Oh man, I'm still not used to that. Ahsoka has told me that she loves me at least 4 times in the last half hour and every single time she said it, I felt my heart skip several beats. Hearing her beautiful melodic voice saying she loves me is the best feeling in the entire world; nothing could match this in the entire universe. Warmer than the heat of a thousand suns, and more pure than angels humming.

I felt her as Ahsoka slowly slid her hands down my arms and towards my own hands as she showed me how to properly aim my new weapon. The rifle pressed into my shoulder as she lifted it up to my eye level and taught me quickly how to aim with the cross-hairs. It was different than what I'm used to but I'll get used to it real soon.

Everyone was in position. There was a gun turret stationed to the cliff next to us, the militia were on Dalgos down below. Saw and Steela led a small group by air on Rupings, and me and Ahsoka were stationed for cover fire. Well, I was stationed for cover fire. Ahsoka was there to protect me with her sabers.

I heard the screech of a Ruping and looked up to see Steela jumping off the back of the creature and lifting up her sniper rifle.

"The droid army is almost here. Everyone, get ready." I gulped and kneeled down, positioning the gun just as Ahsoka showed me to.

I could see the droids flooding out of the clearing and into our direct path, parade style. They were armed with tanks and walkers and heavily armed war machines. My hands shook against the grip of the rifle but I continued to stand, refusing to move even slightly.

"Saw, begin your attack." Steela said through her comlink. And about 20 seconds later, a huge explosion sounded from down below. Gunfire came at every single angle and direction and I aided in whatever way I can. The tanks were going down easy... Almost too easy.

When the militia flew overhead again, I heard something... Something that I have never heard before. And following the new humming sound, a massive explosion went off next to us. The turret! It's down!

"No!" Steela shouted in fear, and anger. I could see her eyes light up with that same passionate stare that she had when she heard her brother had been taken into custody.

"Where the hell did that come from?" I shouted over the gunfire, looking around in confusion.

"There!" Ahsoka shouted over my shoulder, pointing up at what caused the explosion... It was a gunship! A heavily armed, fortified gunship. Steela shot at the ship but her laser blasts bounced off with a reinforced rayshield. It was heading straight for us...

"Any ideas?" Steela asked Ahsoka who in turn had the best idea yet.

"Yeah! Run!" And oh, how we ran. The gunship blew up the cliff we were standing on and I bolted to my Ruping, holding out my hand for Ahsoka who grabbed it and slid herself on behind me, holding my waist for dear life as I made the creature take off much faster than it's used to and fly back to the base of our nest. Jumping off the Ruping, I stumbled in the process and felt my face hit the boards of the deck, hard.

"Lexie! Are you okay?" Ahsoka said, her voice dripping with concern. I blushed and nodded my head, standing up and putting my hand against my now scrapped cheek.

"Yeah, I'm okay..." The gunships followed us. I squeaked in fear and jumped at Ahsoka. "Get down!" Pushing her down to the ground, I jumped on top of her and protected her from the oncoming debris that rained down on both of us. Dust clouded my vision and I closed my eyes and kept my Jedi safe as best as I could.

Ahsoka made a noise of fear and I looked down at her as her stripes flashed again. I couldn't help but smile nervously. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Y-Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine," Her voice was higher than normal and I smiled in relief as I stood up and helped her to her feet. She dusted off her backside and I did the same, shaking the dust and dirt from my hair.

"Lexie!" I turned to see Steela running to where I was and helping me get back into a fighting position.

"I have to contact the Jedi!" I heard Ahsoka shout as she slid down the side of the hill and into a safe place, which put my mind at ease knowing that she wasn't in harms way.

"Steela, we're losing people, fast! We should fall back!" I tried to reason with her and thank Force I'm talking to Steela and not Saw.

"You're right. Fall back! Everyone, fall back!" Steela shouted over her comlink. My hands tried to hold the rifle as steady as I could and I couldn't help the glance over my shoulder at Ahsoka as I saw a hologram of the Jedi vanish and her jump back up next to us.

"Well? Is the Republic going to help us?" Steela said, re-positioning her sniper rifle on her shoulder.

"No." I guess not all Jedi are as helpful and amazing as Ahsoka is.

"What's it going to take?" Steela snapped in anger. I sighed and looked at Steela, narrowing my eyes.

"King Rash is in control of Onderon, Steela! As long as he's in command, the Republic can't do anything!" Ahsoka stared at me and smiled. Clearly, we were both thinking the same thing; I just said it first.

"Look, they're pulling back. Cover them!" Steela motioned towards our troops and I slowly stepped forward, giving our troops assistance as they all evacuated to the nest. When the area was overrun by droids, I ran with the others, but stayed extremely close to Ahsoka to make sure she was safe the entire time.

When we reached the inside of the caves, Saw and the General of the militia were waiting for us, along with King Dendup and his appointed guards. Me, Steela, and Ahsoka stumbled inside of the caves and I coughed up more dust from the gunship's fire. This is just ridiculous. I thought things were going to go much better than this... Or much worse. We'd either be fine, or dead. Not stuck.

"The highlands may slow down the droids, but they won't stop the gunships." Saw said, crossing his arms in frustration. I looked at Ahsoka and sighed.

"Any word from the Jedi?"

"Not yet."

Sighing in frustration, I ran my gloved hands through my hair and felt it sticking up at all ends of my scalp so I tried my best to flatten it but I knew that wasn't gonna happen any time soon. I looked at Steela, then Saw, then Ahsoka. And then I looked at myself.

My hands were shaky, I was constantly shifting my weight from one foot to another and I felt like I was going to twitch out of my skin. Is this the feeling of impending doom? I wonder if this is how my mom felt before she died... Oh hell, there's something morbid! Great job, Lexie. Making yourself sad again.

"We're not giving up yet! Stagger our defenses to the camp. Secure our approach; stay in small teams. Make use of our training," Steela said, looking at Saw and myself, giving us both the same orders.

"You really are the best leader among us. Couldn't be more proud of you, my sister."

"I learned from the best, big brother." Aww, it was a cute little sibling bonding moment. Saw ordered for the general to follow him out and I couldn't handle the bubbling sense of fear in my stomach as I turned to Ahsoka who just shook her head at me.

"Ahsoka, what are we gonna do? Will you help us?" I said, reaching for her hands and holding them in my own. Her stripes flashed again but she shook her head, looking down at our hands and biting her lip.

"I don't know that I can, Lexie. I can protect you, not fight for you." I already knew the answer, and as depressing as it sounds, I'm happy she isn't fighting for us. The last thing I want is for her to get hurt. I sighed and leaned down, gently kissing her dirt matted cheek.

I felt her hands tense around my own and she closed her eyes, looking away and smiling softly, her stripes speaking more words than she ever could in this situation. I was lost in how adorable she was when someone behind us cleared their throat.

"I hate to interrupt, but we do have pressing matters at hand here," Steela said, crossing her arms but still smirking in the process. I blushed and turned around to try and regain my composure but it was hard when my adorable Jedi was blushing right next to me.

But all was forgotten when we all heard a rumbling noise above us that we didn't recognize. Being around machines my whole life, I know what a Separatist ship and a Republic ship sounded like. And this one was neither. I looked up and saw a freighter passing overhead and I looked at the two before bolting for the stairs as the freighter landed and a ramp of stairs was lowered. Out walked two Weequays, carrying a crate of some sort and followed behind them was... a pirate? He wore a long red trench coat and his eyes were shrouded by goggles. He was covered head to toe in gold and glimmer and had the look of him that said he's used to being swindled. Oh yeah, definitely a pirate.

He approached Steela and looked her up and down, smirking. "Well... You could just be my new favorite spice..." Oh that's just gross.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Steela rolled her eyes in annoyance and I just pointed my rifle at his head.

"Watch it, pirate." He stared at me, like he knew me. It made me uncomfortable.

"Hondo!" Ahsoka shouted at him. So that's his name... She knows him? "What are you doing here?"

He made a clicking noise with his tongue and shook his finger at her. "Oh no, you should thank me, child! I have brought you a gift from Skywalker and Kenobi." The Weeqay on the ground moved the lid of the crate off and revealed shoulder fired rocket launchers. Judging by the diameter of those cylinders, they were extremely powerful.

"The latest from Sienar!" Hondo boasted. And truth be told, he wasn't joking. I've never seen models like this. I reached for the launcher when I felt someone grab my hand, dragging me back to reality. I looked at Steela who shook her head. I pouted.

"Rocket launchers?" Ahsoka seemed confused. Why would the Jedi pay for illegal arms just for us?

"Shoulder fired. Very expensive." Hondo said, staring Ahsoka down. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Paid for?"

"Very handsomely," He rubbed his fingertips together to show what he meant. Oh how I wanted to shoot him... But I guess someone beat me to it. A laser bolt shot right next to Hondo's head and it created sparks against his ship. "Oh my, look at the time. Well, my work here is done!"

Three patrol droids ran up the side of the hills, taking out our protecting troops as Hondo and his fellow pirates boarded the ship and it took off.

Steela growled in frustration and whistled for her Ruping which came as called and picked up the droids in it's claws, dropping them over the side of the cliff. I snickered at the droid's screams.

"I can't be the only one that thinks that's funny," I muttered, looking at the others who didn't find it all that funny. Rolling my eyes, I just kneeled down at the rocket launchers in the crate and lifted one up onto my shoulder, aiming it at the sky.

Ahsoka smirked and grabbed some of the launchers out of the crate and slung them over her shoulder and handed two to Steela. I picked up the last one and followed the others.

"I hope these work," Steela sighed and quickly headed down to the lines that were held down by the gunships.

Flying down on the Rupings, we all jumped off the backs of the creatures and headed towards Saw and the others.

"We've tried everything! But we're target practice for those gunships!" I handed Saw a rocket launcher and smirked.

"Well, now it's their turn!" Saw stared down at the rocket launcher in his grasp and looked at me with confusion.

"Thank the Jedi." Steela told him as he quickly ran to a clearing with the rocket launcher and lifted it up onto his shoulder and focusing it on a gunship passing overhead. I waited and the rocket went flying from the barrel, hitting the gunship in the side. There was a whirring sound and then an explosion. I watched the gunship go down in a fiery explosion on the ground and I jumped in the air, throwing my fists up in triumph. The odds are now in our favor!

"Distribute the rocket launchers and take out those gunships." Steela narrowed her eyes at me and I looked at the rocket launcher still in my grasp and pouted.

"Aw, but it's so pretty, Steela..." I whined, not wanting to let the launcher go. But she continued to stare and I just sighed, handing it to Saw. "She'll never understand what we had together." I muttered, making Saw and Ahsoka snicker in the process.

"Steela!" Her comlink sounded off and she stopped in her tracks. "They're attacking the nest! They're trying to go after the king!"

"Come on!" Without even thinking, Steela jumped on her Ruping and took off without waiting for anybody. Shit, shit, shit, she's gonna get herself killed!

"She sure leads by example." Ahsoka said, her hands on her hips as she looks at me, waiting for a response.

"Yeah, but what good will that do if she gets herself killed?" I felt fear bubble up in my heart as I ran to the Ruping, jumping on it's back and holding out my hand for Ahsoka to take. She held it and quickly jumped on behind me and I heard her lightsaber activate from behind me. Oh crap, fly gently, don't get your arm sliced off.

I followed Steela's ruping back to the nest as the creature circled the guard towers and rockets went flying at the gunships that took out every single person on the guard towers. They had the militia and the king pinned down inside the caves. This did not look good at all.

Steela leaped off the Ruping as it continued to fly away and shot the gunship down with her rocket launcher. It smoked and began to plummet towards the ground in a fiery blast. I landed my ruping and jumped off, taking down the droids surrounding me and Ahsoka. She leaped off with her incredible gymnastic skills and took down the droids with a single sweep of her lightsaber.

I saw that Dendup began to run off with his guards as the droids chased him down. He was heading straight for the cliff. Steela followed him and did everything in her power to protect him. My focus was on Ahsoka.

I couldn't help myself, she moved with such grace, such skill... It was like watching a dance performance. I stared at her as she cut down the droids and dismembered them one by one, a snarl on her face and a fire in her eyes. I sighed with happiness at the girl who just protected me from death.

"Are you alright?" Ahsoka said, walking up to me. I smiled and put my hand against her cheek.

"What would I do if you weren't around to save me?"

Ahsoka giggled and looked up at me, smiling a big toothy grin, her sharp canines completely exposed. Blushing as I did so, I leaned forward and was oh, so close to her lips once again but that was before I heard a loud explosion. Stopping myself, I turned around and saw something totally horrifying. A gunship was spiraling down towards us!

"Run!" Ahsoka shouted and pulled on my hand as the gunship smashed into the cliff's edge behind us. The blast knocked us completely off of our feet as the gunship's remains lay scattered all over the cliffside. I coughed and sat up slowly, feeling my entire body become sore with how I slammed into the ground of the rock formations. My head was spinning and I felt extremely dizzy...

But to hell with the dizziness, I heard a shout. And I knew it was Steela. I jumped up, feeling my head spinning from the crash, but ignored it as best I could and ran to her aide. Steela was hanging off the cliff, holding on to nothing but a ridge in the cliff!

"Hold on, Steela!" I dropped down onto my stomach and reached for her hand, trying my very best to reach her... Oh no, I can't get to her! "Don't let go!"

With every inch forward, I felt myself slowly sliding down the side of the cliff's edge. I can't help Steela if I'm dead too!

And that was it. I lost myself. The cliff didn't want to hold me any longer. I fell face first down the cliff and gravity began taking me down... Until it wasn't. I froze with fear and looked up to see Ahsoka, her hands hovering right above me as she used the force to lift me up and off the side of the cliff. She put me down gently, next to Steela's sniper rifle and just said to herself, "I'll handle this."

I had complete faith in her... She could do this. I looked down and saw Steela reaching for Ahsoka's hand and I just stared with amazement at how much strength this girl had... Beautiful and strong...

Until everything fell. The gunship was still active! I watched in total horror as the guns fired on Ahsoka. Her shoulder was shot. I saw the smoke escape the gaping wound in her shoulder. I did whatever I could. Jumping into action, I reached for the sniper rifle next to me and shot the gun, making it collapse once again.

Fear rose deep in my stomach as Ahsoka held her shoulder and groaned in complete pain. And then realization flashed across her entire face. Crouching down, her hands outstretched toward the cliff edge and... Oh no...

It was Steela... She fell. Ahsoka let her go... Oh Gods, how could this happen... She's...

I dropped her sniper rifle. I fell to my knees. My entire world was spinning again. I felt sick. Dizzy. In so much pain... Steela's dead.


	22. Chapter 22

It was confirmed. Steela was dead. Saw blamed himself but I knew the truth. No one was at fault but the damn Separatists. When Ahsoka contacted the Jedi and told her that the war was over, Skywalker and Kenobi returned to assess what we had done to take our home back. The injured were taken to a medical bay inside of the city. They discovered the body of King Rash and the entire castle was vacant... They ran away. Ran like freaking cowards.

The castle was ours again. The city was ours... Onderon was ours.

So I was now sitting in the medical bay and King Dendup was leaving after speaking to me. He was naming me the new senator of Onderon... I felt an overwhelming pride in my heart that he put so much faith in me.

I felt the hands of the medical officer ghosting over my neck and my chest to check for breaks and wounds and when I was cleared, he gave me a bacta injection to heal my internal wounds quickly. I know that Ahsoka is in the next room over, being treated for her shoulder wound... The blaster bolt went clear through the other side and she was in a tremendous amount of pain on the way back to the city.

So when the door opened, I was expecting someone else... not her master. Oh no, he's got a look of murder in his eyes. I gulped in fear as he looked at the medical officer who left the room.

"So... Ahsoka told me what happened," He said, crossing his arms and staring me down with his bright, cyan blue eyes. Oh, what was he talking about?

"What do you mean?" I hated the timid sound in my voice. But I couldn't help it, I was terrified.

"About... the kiss." Damn. Caught.

He glared at me as I began to sweat nervously and looked down at my hands that were now shaking.

"M-Master Skywalker, I- I know that Jedi aren't allowed to love. I know that they can't form attachments. She told me everything. But I just... I really do think I love her!" What the hell is wrong with me? He's gonna kill me!

"Oh, is that so?" He didn't falter. Didn't change his look. For all I know, he could be killing me with the force right now. I've corrupted his Padawan. Poisoned her mind. Took control of her heart... She had a code to follow... The code didn't involve me.

"Yes. Yes, sir. B-But just to be clear, I didn't kiss her first! She kissed me." I went on the defensive immediately.

"She told me that."

He was always ten moves ahead of me... I felt like I was going to die.

"Miss Bonteri... You need to understand that Ahsoka is a Jedi. And a Jedi isn't allowed to have attachments..." I nodded and looked down, frowning. "However," Wait, what?

"I am not a perfect Jedi myself... I will not say anything but... I can't help you two if you get caught. Be careful, Lexie... And if you ever do anything to put her in danger... Don't think I won't come right for you. Treat her with the utmost respect... That's my Padawan. You understand?"

Holy shit, I was scared. I nodded in fear and watched him exit the room... So, he's keeping our secret? Seriously? Oh my Force, this man is the coolest person I've ever met! He's awesome!

After the medical exam was over, we were invited to Yolahn square for the memorial. Steela's body was covered by a sheet and her sniper rifle was standing on the ground next to her. Saw walked up the stairs and I followed, Ahsoka standing behind me. Saw was struggling with his feelings and I put my hand on his shoulder. He stepped away from Steela's body and I bowed my head to her, speaking to myself.

"I hardly knew you... But I loved you like a mother. We'll miss you, Steela." I stepped away from the body and to the side with Saw, looking up at him and sighing in depression. Ahsoka stood with us, her wound covered with a bandage and a steady flow of bacta numbing the wound. Good, she wasn't feeling any pain.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Ahsoka said, awkwardly. She looked up at Saw who just made awkward eye contact with him.

"Thanks. But it's over now. Let's just leave it at that." Damn, okay Saw. He walked off towards King Dendup who was re-elected without question. I stood with Ahsoka, staring at the crowd of people in Yolahn square. All of Onderon was present for this momentous occasion.

"Steela would be happy... Her sacrifice gave Onderon its freedom." I tried to think positively. But it was hard to do.

"But at what cost?" Ahsoka said, looking up at me. "It's like you once said. Many lives get caught between the Republic and the Separatists."

"I did say that once... But after seeing your incredible selflessness and that of the Jedi, I think I've made a choice..." I was thinking about this long, and hard. And I finally made my choice.

"What do you mean?"

"King Dendup has appointed me the new Senator of Onderon... I'm going to follow in my mother's footsteps. And I will bring us back to the Republic." Ahsoka glanced down and grabbed my hand in hers. I blushed and wrapped my fingers in between hers, gently squeezing them. She smiled and I had to resist the urge to kiss her. No affection, no one can know. Even though it did just happen in front of the entire militia...

But irregardless, I had to keep it professional.

"Remember this day," King Dendup announced. "The day that Onderon became free again!" The crowd cheered as loud as possible. I felt the applause in my soul and it was like my entire body vibrated. It was something that I could only dream of. Every woman, man, child, everyone in the whole city, gathered to announce that the Separatist reign of terror was over.

"And may I present, your new Senator, Alexis Bonteri! Daughter of Mina Bonteri! Our allegiance now lies with the Republic!" King Dendup announced and I swear, the crowd got louder at my name. I blushed and stepped forward, still in my raggedy war-garb. I was dirty, but my official announcement was tomorrow. But I have something to do before then... I was meeting with a tattoo artist later today after I get cleaned up.

"Will you be staying with us on Onderon, Miss Bonteri?" The General asked me. I smiled and nodded.

"Yes, sir. The king said there is an office and room for me. I would love to stay here with my people." The General smiled at my response and bowed his head in respect. This was so cool! I was in politics! I would be at every debate! With the Republic! This is amazing!

After the celebration was over, Steela's body was carried to the outskirts to be buried. I had asked not to go but instead was let inside of the castle to get clean again. I was in the refresher for a good long hour, scrubbing the grime and sweat off my body. Once I finally felt clean, I stepped out and saw that there was a dress waiting for me... It was a royal purple with a gold trimmed hem. Sleeveless and was accented with a golden neck plate to hold it up. There was no back, however. The dress reached the length of the floor and flowed down gracefully with a soft, breathable fabric. Was that silk? No, something else... I didn't know what sort of fabric it was but it was perfect. In response, I was given a strapless black bra covered in black lace and matching panties lay with it. Next to that, simple black heels with straps up the ankles.

I smiled and quickly dried my hair, pulling on the undergarments and then the dress and snapping the plate around my neck. The dress flowed down my legs and down over my feet. As I pulled on the heels, I gained another three inches almost immediately. The dress was now a perfect length, not touching the floor.

I looked into the mirror and accented my eyes with dark make up and thought of covering my scar... But ignored it. Let the galaxy see my scar. I don't care any longer; its made me stronger.

Now that I was presentable, I stepped out of the refresher and when I saw my room, Ahsoka was standing there, waiting. She had herself sat down on my new bed and when she looked up and saw me, she stared.

"How do I look?" I said, spinning in place.

Ahsoka smiled and stood up, looking up at me as she approached me. "Beautiful. Like the day I met you," She said, still smiling up at me. There was a sparkle in her eyes that made me blush.

"Well, I've changed since then, Ahsoka." I muttered, staring into her beautiful eyes.

"Just become more beautiful to me." And then, she kissed me. Damn, I could definitely get used to this. Her kiss was so soft but filled with passion. And kind of sloppy. Clearly, I was her first kiss. And let me tell you, I'm honored. Her beautiful lips on mine and her hands gently grasping at my sides, pulling me closer to her as I felt something catch onto my lip.

I squeaked in surprise at her teeth against my lip and blushed a bright red as her canines grazed against my skin. Oh hell, I'm glad she was holding me because I thought I was gonna faint...

I wrapped my hands slowly around the back of her neck and tilted her head back, bringing the kiss deeper than before. Very cautiously, I grasped her bottom lip in between my teeth and snapped slightly. She gasped against my mouth and I felt her fingernails dig into my bare back, making me squeak in response. I couldn't help the smile that faded across my lips as she moved them against mine. She was smiling too.

Without thinking, the back of my hand ghosted down her back head tail and I swear, she purred. Purred like a kitten under my touch. I felt her body shiver and her hands quake against my skin, her fingernails sliding down my back and leaving marks down them. I groaned at the pain and the pleasure it sent through my body and felt like if I didn't stop this kiss, I was going to take things way too far.

Gently pulling back, I saw Ahsoka whine when I broke it and she stuck out her bottom lip, pouting and looking up at me with those big, bright blue eyes. I couldn't handle how cute the look was so I just looked down and gently and slowly leaned forward, as if she was an animal that I was going to spook off.

She didn't protest with my movement as I loomed closer to her neck and I took in her scent... It was like every single spice flooded my sense at once. Absolutely intoxicating. I was in a trance and I knew exactly what I wanted and I thought I would be granted my wish... Until the door opened.

Squeaking in fear, Ahsoka jumped back from me as I quickly stood up to show respect to whoever it was. Low and behold, it's her master. Anakin stared us down and I shrunk under his gaze, looking down and reaching for my other arm, rubbing the skin on my bicep awkwardly.

"Master, couldn't you knock?" Ahsoka scowled, crossing her arms in frustration.

"You're my Padawan, Ahsoka. I shouldn't have to." He said, smirking in the most smug way I've ever seen in my entire life. Oh for F- why must he do this?

"Yes, but it just happens to be Lexie's room? A little privacy?" Ahsoka looked at me to say something and I stared at her, than Anakin who crossed his arms.

"Lexie, do you have a problem with it?" He was daring me to say something else. I had to agree! He would kill me otherwise, are you kidding me!?

"N-No sir! Not at all!" Ahsoka groaned in frustration and put her hand against her forehead, glaring at both of us. I sighed and looked down at my feet in embarrassment. Anakin seemed content with my choice of words and looked at Ahsoka.

"We're leaving tomorrow after Bonteri's appointment. I suggest you both get some sleep soon. We leave for Coruscant in the morning." And with that, Anakin left the room. Ahsoka sighed and slowly approached me once again, wrapping her arms around my back and looking up at me.

"You know... I think you'll make a pretty good Senator." She responded and put her head against my chest, making me blush.

"I hope all of the Republic shares your beliefs." I know they wouldn't But just knowing that Ahsoka is showing her support, that was enough for me.

We were both brought dinner by a local butcher and once we ate, we both decided we needed sleep. The bed they gave me was huge. I loved the feeling of the silk sheets against my skin. I knew that I was sleeping in my underwear tonight, I don't have anything else right now. So what I have now is what I must use.

Ahsoka decided she was going to stay in my room so as she began to remove her boots, I unclasped the dress and hung it up against the wardrobe and took off my shoes. I turned around and saw Ahsoka slipping her dress up over her head and removing her diamond pattern tights from her legs, standing in a black full body jumpsuit that showed off an surprising amount of cleavage, the neckline was incredibly low cut. I blushed and couldn't help but stare at her as she climbed into the bed and glanced over me... And stared at me.

Oh my god, she's staring at me like I was breaking the law! Ahsoka's stripes couldn't get any darker, they were nearly black! Her eyes were wide and she was biting her lip, staring me down... I was now extremely self conscious about myself and quickly slid under the covers, laying my head against the pillows behind my head and sighing with happiness.

"Oh this is awesome... Feels like a cloud." I muttered and snuggled into the comforters and rolled onto my side, looking at... My girlfriend. Oh, nothing made me happier than to say those words about my beautiful Ahsoka. I mean, look at her! This is a dream come true!

The girl in question was slowly wiggling closer to me and before I knew it, she was snuggled right into me. Ahsoka wrapped her arms around my waist and pushed her forehead into my chest, making the purring noise once again which sent shivers down my spine. I blushed and wrapped my arms around her back and dragged my fingers down her skin softly and gently, kissing the top of her head and against her horns.

I heard her giggle and she looked up at me, smiling happily. I don't think I've ever seen Ahsoka this happy in all my time knowing her. It was a genuine and pure smile on her face and her eyes were sparkling with... love. I knew that look anywhere. It was love.

I tilted my head down and kissed her as gently as possible, placing my hands on her back flatly and sliding them up and down her skin. She shivered and shifted under the blankets before I felt her hands against my shoulders and push me onto my back. Oh my Force, what is happening?

Ahsoka was moving across my body and she swung one of her legs over my hips and very slowly, put all of her weight on top of my hips. My eyes were wide with shock. What was she doing? It's only been a day... Ahsoka may be trying to do everything a little bit too fast. Not knowing how relationships work very well, I don't think she knows the pace of a successful relationship. So when I felt her hands trembling against my skin and her thighs shaking as she leaned down and kissed me, I grasped her by the waist and stopped her.

"Ahsoka, what are you doing?"

It looked like she didn't have an answer. Her stripes flashed and she bit her lip. "I-I thought that when you-you're in a relationship, you-you're supposed to-"

"No." I sat up and held her in place on my hips and looked up at her. "You aren't supposed to do anything. Ahsoka, if you aren't ready, you aren't ready. Don't force yourself into anything you don't want to do. It's okay."

Her face turned back to the regular orange color I knew and loved and she breathed out a sigh of relief and kissed my lips gently.

"Thank you," She said, slowly getting off of me and laying down next to me in bed. I giggled and kissed her forehead, laying down and holding her in my arms. She pushed her head against my chest once again and in two minutes flat, I could hear her breathing change and she began to snore softly.

"I love you, Ahsoka..." I kissed her head and followed her into sleep.


End file.
